My clients were small businesses and the self-employed. Some of my clients were artists, machine shops, and even religious institutions. I had lots of self-employed rabbis and ministers. And of course. I also had accountants and attorneys. To be honest, the artists, ministers, and rabbis were often the most interesting. The exception was Attorney Mark and his downtown law office.
Attorney Mark, who may finally be retired by the time you read this, brought integrity and talent to the practice of personal injury. We routinely talked business, politics, and life. But neither Mark nor either of his partners was the most interesting guy in the office. That position was held by his Of Council, Michael.
Mike was a big guy dwarfed by his even bigger personality. I remember meeting him in his office. My monogrammed dress shirts had my initials on the sleeve. His had the word “OCCUPANT” stitched above the shirt pocket. He kept tabs on who noticed and he became friends with those that laughed. I laughed. Michael’s specialty was domestic relations. It could be deadly serious. Humor was his safety valve.
I needed Michael’s services a few years later. What a meeting! It was the summer of 2005. We sat in his office, neither of us used any paper or notes. I laid out what I thought was relevant. He asked a few questions. The two of us then did the math in our heads and came up with the same number. That number, and our quickly agreed to fee, was the most this divorce would cost me if it was decided by the judge. I told him that I would offer my soon-to-be ex more to get this over sooner. He assured me that I would be wasting my time. That entire conversation took less than 10 minutes. We spent most of the hour talking baseball and our mutual hobby of doing Sudoku, which he always did in red ink.
The divorce, the perfect example of greed and stupidity, took over a year. All of my offers were in excess of the final cost, a touch less than Michael’s initial prediction. It had been his clarity and confidence that made the 15-month ordeal tolerable.
I am relating this story to you because Michael and his wife died in the last two months. They will be missed.
Michael’s death is another reminder of why I had to retire. It wasn’t the hours. I truly enjoyed my clients and the problem solving. The issues for me were the death and destruction. The clients, some I’ve known for 20, 30, 40(!) years, are disappearing. They weren’t faceless sales or numbers on a spreadsheet. They are/were my people. And the destruction? The greed and shortsightedness of the current insurance companies are doing irreparable damage to the industry. Add that to government incompetence and you have a very predictable disaster. It is all so painful. I had to step aside.
I mentioned Michael’s passing to Bruce, another Family Law practitioner. He was shocked since he had seen Michael in court sometime in the last year. But Bruce immediately noted what a great attorney Michael and been. And then he told me a quick Michael story, because everyone who knew Michael has a quick Michael story. Michael was respected and he brought a little joy and personality to one of the darker corners of the courthouse.
And I have run out of red ink.
Dave
Picture – Blue Will Do – David L Cunix