November 03, 2003

Winning is Everything

The vast majority of the cases I work on are mass tort cases -- the kind where lots and lots of people are (allegedly) injured by one single event or source (i.e. chemical spills, asbestos exposure in plants, etc.) These kinds of cases drag on for years, involve extensive discovery and a lot of negotiation to ultimately resolve. I enjoy them, but it can sometimes be frustrating that it takes so long to ever see resolution to your work.

This morning I got a much-needed break from my usual spate of cases. I went to court and represented a woman pro bono (for free), who is mildly mentally retarded and has some psychiatric issues. She is 25, but has the intelligence level of a seven year old child. She lives with her older sister, who cares for her and wants to continue to do so. Her sister filed a Petition for Interdiction, which would give her sister full control over the young woman, including her financial assets, medical care, etc. The woman loves living with her sister, and this morning she had an opportunity to tell the judge just that. The hearing went beautifully, but mostly I'm so thrilled that this woman now feels secure knowing that she can continue to live where she wants, and that no one will interfere with that relationship.

People often assume that representing corporations would be boring or that it wouldn't be as interesting as representing individuals, but they're wrong. It is interesting, challenging work, but not nearly as rewarding as being able to help one young woman.

Posted by Kitty at November 3, 2003 12:44 PM

Comments

so your saying you're going to do more pro-bono work?

Posted by: pylorns at November 4, 2003 09:09 AM

Yes!

Posted by: Jennifer at November 4, 2003 03:01 PM

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