Spinning dizzying understanding

Most of you who read Ocean are not in any way connected with the legal profession. Me, I practiced the stuff and now I teach it. I am likely in some way responsible for the training of most, if not all, the young family law attorneys in town. Others teach about corporate mergers and acquisitions. I teach about marriage and divorce. If you practice either (what’s there to practice in marriage law?), likely as not you will have taken my class. Cool.

A commenter once wrote that I have never written with such raw emotion as when I was trying to sell the house. Watch me now.

I teach family law. I teach about compassion. I teach about clients who, for reasons too difficult to understand, cannot get it together at the time of divorce. I teach about lawyers and judges who are ill equipped to deal with what is thrust upon them. I teach about how impossibly difficult it is to make reasoned judgments in this area.

Okay. And then, suddenly, I have a personal issue that requires the intervention of the legal system. And I need to hire an attorney. And the other side needs to hire an attorney. And things are not going right. What? What’s happening? I did not say that! The other party did not say that! (The opposing party and I happen to be in good communication with each other.) Oh, suddenly I understand. The attorney on the other side is engaging in the art of exaggeration.

But wait, such conclusions! Where are they being drawn from? Oh! Reading blogs, I am told. The attorney on the other side reads OCEAN! Material from here? To be used against me? Poor Ocean is sobbing as we speak! That's just shameless! Oh, I cannot wait for this to be done with legal matters.

And now I am reminded of the time I was selling the house. Don’t write about this publicly – I was told. Keep quiet, keep quiet.

And I am reminded of the time I was called before the judicial system some 8 years ago, unfairly, on someone’s whim and fear. Keep quiet. This will resolve itself. Just keep quiet.

I cannot. I stand behind my life. I have made plenty of errors. I take responsibility for them. I am not ashamed to admit to them. But this? You, lawyer on the other side, shame on you. Shame. I will never teach my students to be like you. Yes, you may have won your case. Now go and sleep on it. Sleep on your conscience. Nighty night.

P.S. Had it not been for the asinine issue that arose, I would have been posting about my brunch this afternoon. And I would have said to you, pal, that I do indeed post photos of me smiling. Here's one that someone took this afternoon at said brunch.