Wild Monkeys!

I have been on such a pho kick recently, for unsurprising reasons. I am already plotting how to include it in today's plans. Something Asian and hot and noodly anyway. I would ordinarily ask for folks to join me but honestly I have to work straight through lunch. I've got a Measure 11 brief due soon — 12 counts of assault in the second degree, 2 counts of assault in the fourth degree, and 9 counts of criminal mistreatment in the first degree, just a huge transcript — and I'm trying to power through the key parts of drafting it today.

I would love to see you guys for lunch soon though.

ETA oh that was good. Pho with snow — it doesn't really rhyme, but still.

What are you going to do over the next 120-odd hours to work for a victory for Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates?

I have been using my mad legal skillz (more like phone skillz, really) helping voters with ballot problems here in Oregon (¡occasionally in hilariously accented Spanish!). On Election Day, I will be monitoring the vote count in Washington County for the Oregon Democratic Lawyers' Committee from 9:30 to 5, then making get-out-the-vote calls until the polls close (after the Night Lawyers come on duty).

And you?

As I have said in all media to which I can gain access, if you need help plugging in with any progressive campaign, anywhere in the country, feel free to contact me. They need your time way more than your money at this point.

Early this morning. Woo! Now getting ready to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary.

Dear Jim,

With deep respect for you and all our colleagues here, I hereby resign the position of staff attorney at Metropolitan Public Defender, effective close of business July 14, 2008. I am currently scheduled to take vacation July 4 through July 14. If my departure date creates serious inconveniences for our clients, I am happy to be as flexible as I can in order to ensure an orderly handover of my cases to other attorneys and continuous high-quality representation for the clients.

I am leaving MPD, with tremendous appreciation for the work everyone does here and profound gratitude for the thoroughgoing professional education I have received, in order to open my own law office. In the months and years ahead, I know I will have constant occasion to call on the skills I have gained as part of the MPD team. Thanks again for taking a chance on me. I pray that I have lived up to your expectations.

With the warmest regards,

bonobo23

We lost the trial, big-time. It was a very difficult case -- my most difficult to date, in fact -- and we'll appeal. Thanks to everyone for your support; I'm doing just fine.

OK, I'm back in trial through Thursday morning and will probably be on the Internets less than usual. If you're around and have nothing better to do, come by Courtroom 318 in the Multnomah County Courthouse!

Okay, so I represent a seriously mentally ill middle-aged woman with a family and no criminal record. She is accused of critically injuring a pedestrian with her car and then fleeing the scene. This allegedly happened over a year ago, but the state has brought charges only now. My client was jailed for two weeks following her arrest at her arraignment.

Today I won her release by getting a judge, who was willing to look at the evidence of how bad jail was for her mental health, to lower bail from $277,500 to $1,000 (her husband only has to post 10% of that and she's out; once out, she will be closely supervised by the probation department, be required to comply fully with her mental health treatment regimen, and will have to abstain completely from driving, drinking alcohol, or using drugs illegally).

The charges are unarguably grave, but we contest them strongly, and no matter what you would think of my client if they were true, I think most of my friends can agree that people shouldn't sit in custody decompensating on the taxpayers' dime when they are well-plugged in to support networks and treatment in the community.

I could go into a lot more detail, but suffice it to say that this is my most significant victory in a release hearing EVER.

I'm off to Seattle tomorrow to see a variety of friends from old UU days, the Reed diaspora, and the Country Fair. This solo trip, pure playtime, is basically a birthday present, for which I thank D very much. D & WD will be in Yelm with the in-laws while I'm up there. Everyone, thanks in advance for your hospitality and I really look forward to seeing you.

Plus I just got a client out of jail while she awaits trial on a very beatable charge, so I'm pretty psyched in general.

Finally, if you feel like spending a significant amount of money in pursuit of a staggeringly good meal, I recommend new Portland restaurant Sel Gris without a shred of hesitancy.

I just won the most difficult victory of my career to date: a complete acquittal on charges of robbery in the first degree with a firearm; two counts of robbery in the second degree with a firearm; burglary in the first degree of an occupied dwelling, causing injury, with a firearm; and aggravated animal abuse in the first degree.

Now I am going to Legin for dinner and then the Horse Brass for drinks for this and for my birthday. Come to the Horse Brass after 8:30!

A fellow lawyer, leaving my lawfirm (as I learned today), told me she was burned out on public defense for now. She singled another lawyer and me out as people she saw being especially safe from burnout.

What do I do to avoid burning out? As I just told a good new friend, in my off hours I indulge in every form of rank sensuality.

And then, in the sultry night, to the sound of crickets, wearing only basketball shorts, barefoot in the grass among my exuberant vegetable beds, with my beloved daughter asleep upstairs in bed, and my sexy wife walking around in the house, having just spent time pickling cucumbers we grew, off the phone with the aforementioned friend, I poured myself another glass of wine.

San Francisco! Brilliant criminal defense lawyers! Really good food! Drinkin' and stayin' out late! Woo!

I'm off to San Francisco for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers annual meeting. I used to go to the City four to six times a year, but I haven't been since New Year's 2002-2003. I really miss it and am SO excited to be going. Thanks to ariiadne and vyrin for putting me up! I hope to see some of you down there.

( My email to you bounced (what's your best email address?) so here it is in post form: )

The jury acquitted my client of robbery in the third degree, unanimously. I am taking the rest of the day off to attend the Oregon Brewers' Festival. Please call my mobile phone if you want to join me there.

No, the jury's not back yet. But it doesn't matter at quite the level it did before. This morning the judge granted my renewed motion for judgment of acquittal of the Measure 11 crimes. Now my client is facing only a non-prison charge, Robbery in the Third Degree. I can explain the legal details to any of you lawyers at another time, and of course I'll post again after the verdict, but in plain English this is the greatest victory of my career to date.

Dang, am I ever glad we get a break before closing arguments in the morning.

I am SO looking forward to my San Francisco trip next week!

I'm in my first Measure 11 trial (my 69th trial so far with MPD). My client is accused of aiding and abetting a robbery in the first degree and a robbery in the second degree, both charges arising out of the same incident. Please wish us luck. I'd welcome friends coming to watch. It's Room 716 of the Multnomah County Courthouse; we'll be there through Thursday.

Also, great good luck to my buddy Moose from Meat Smoke Crew and to theotherjay, who are both starting the bar exam today.

The last two days' trial? 11-1 for conviction on all three counts submitted to the jury (I had gotten one count thrown out midway through by the judge because of insufficient evidence, but it was the most minor count.) Meh.

My career criminal trial record is now 30 wins, 28 losses, 10 split decisions.

Arson II, Unlawful Use of a Vehicle, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Carrying a Concealed Weapon -- Multnomah County Courthouse, Courtroom 548, if anyone has nothing better to do this afternoon.

I am so happy. My presentation at the OCDLA annual conference was well-attended, I felt confident and comfortable with the materials (albeit only by dint of extensive last-minute preparation), and people said nice things about it afterward. I even went over time -- that's more than an hour of speaking to people who are way more professionally experienced than me on average!

Plus last night Andy and I threw a very well-attended and fairly wild (for a lawyers' meeting) party that also got good reviews.

And I still have a super-fun weekend ahead. Yay! I hope all your lives are equally satisfying at present.