Tuesday, December 5, 2006

The Law and How to Make it Wiggle

I'm working on some legal research right now.  I used to read the case law pamphlets and newspapers that came into offices when I was a legal secretary and a paralegal.  It was one of my favorite things to do on coffee breaks and lunch breaks.  In the process I filed away tons of information many would consider useless.   I always loved to read an opposing attorney's side of the argument, and then take his citations and read them.  In most cases they would only read the "head notes" and not read the entire case.  I would go and read the entire case, and find that the head notes didn't really support their argument, but in many cases, it really supported the other side.  In many cases, they'd be right on point.  I loved using the other guy's "research" and turn it against him.  I guess this is caused by laziness.  In the "olden days" we had to look stuff up in books.  It was a tedious job for many, but I found it fun.  The people who merely looked at the head notes sometimes (often) trapped themselves, by not looking at the underlying layers of the case.

Now it is much easier to read tons of cases.  And the legal search engines can take you right to the on point cases you need.  Isn't technology wonderful?

I remember my grandmother getting tears in her eyes when she was watching the flight to the moon in 1969.  She said something about horse and buggy and going to the moon.  It's sort of that way with me now and looking at computers.  One of my jobs at the U of Illinois was in the Physiology and Biophysics Department and I coordinated the "new" computer admissions and courses information.  I was the liason between the department and the computer.  The computer itself was as big as a house.    And it was very hot inside and things were going "clickety'clack".  I had to tell the computer operators what the computer cards were supposed to be telling the computer.  It is rather amazing that the cpu that sits here on my desk is unbelievably more efficient, faster, and holds more information than could be printed on boxes and boxes and boxes of those cards I used to carry over there!   I love technology.

My first job as a legal secretary was in Urbana, Illinois for Finfrocke Law Offices.  We typed Wills and things.  I would spend an entire day typing one will, and if I made one mistake, I had to pull the paper out and begin again.  We were not allowed to make an error.  With my WordPerfect Merge forms, I can do a simple will in about 60 seconds.   

I love technology.  And I still love working with legal things.  It is fun and exercises the mind.  Exercising the mind is just as important as exercising the body.  Keeps it supple, and keeps those good words coming where they ought to be!!

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