2016 ISBA Poetry Slam winner
Meghan VanLeuwen
Quo Ante
When I was a young girl
we would sometimes visit my Father
at his law office
in the center of the small town where we lived.
Shag carpet, dark wood, legal tomes -
air thick and serious as Church.
We ran our fingers across file cabinets, typewriters, rolodexes.
Great stacks of briefs, like Corinthian columns, adorned every surface.
There were no computers in my Father's practice.
There were no emails either, but sometimes at night he would speak softly into a Dictaphone, a staccato rhythm accompanying soft scratches of lead on legal pad.
There was no constant connection then.
When my Father left the office,
he was truly gone.
Pamela Sakowicz Menaker
Success Through Social Media
There once was a lawyer named Pam
In a race for the Board with a plan.
It was a dead heat,
What avoided defeat?
Why -- tweeting, Facebook and Instagram.
Kathleen Elliott
Midnight client text
Melodic tinkling alert
Awakens the dog.
M. John Hefner
IS LINCOLN LINKED IN?
Our Lawyer heritage flows from those who stood for equity in word and deed;
Wordsmiths.....Lovers of Freedom, Equality...Insurers of process that is due.
Crafters of Declarations of Independence, Constitutions,...Substance over speed;
Thinkers whose shadows still cast long......Doers who jurisprudence grew.
They, whose legal ancestors, with home made ink scribed
Vellum with language that created Deeds, Conveyances, Trusts and Wills;
Parchment that a few months past was calf skin on a calf that died
Unknowing that legalese would be tattooed on its skin with goose plucked quills.
Then, came those who loved fairness....fought the gallows...held up children small
Seeking education in equal measure and kind....they were problem solvers...future changers;
Those who marched the march and walked the bridge...knowing that ALL meant ALL
Would those who sang freedom's song let such passion die by efficiency's dangers?
Faxes...emails....e-filing...bytes and bits....now move our craft
From office to office....from office to court....Judges' orders are electric
Efficiently speeding through the www.......are we daft?
"The Court Rules.....'Motion Denied', Counselor'"...with reasons electric.
Has this age of digits...(Undoubtedly efficient for all except the dubious)
Raised the quality of our thought? Enhanced our Purpose?...Our Reasons
For being what we are?..Or,...are our efforts for society less salubrious?
Has efficiency trumped passion? Are we no longer the profession for all seasons?
What would Abraham Lincoln do with an H.P.? Facebook? Linked-In?
Would "Four Score and Seven Years Ago"...sadly, become "Forty-seven"?
Would and does "faster" mean "better"? Have the effects of speed "sinked in"?
Does the creative mind and heart find solace in a digital heaven?
Queries all without solutions...not now......perhaps, not ever
It is well enough to know the questions...so keepers of the legacies of our profession:
Diligence, creativity, passion and ethics must not from us allow speed to sever
Perhaps this subject would be fodder for a mandatory CLE session.
Kathryn Kelly
The digital age has now come upon us
Is extinction of personal interface looming?
We've got to keep up with the changes
The alternative, sadly, is dooming.
To you, ISBA friends, we offer these hints Make sure that you adhere to them dearly For if you don't bother there may be trouble As the ARDC is watching us yearly:
*Grab your iphone, keep it handy
Online research can be dandy
*Email clients when you're able
In line or waiting on a table
*Use Fast Case, from ISBA ready
Stay current on law, it gets heady.
*Security on your server, always a must, Or AVVO ratings may lead to mistrust.
*E-Discovery is forever here to stay,
Go to discoverypilot.com to lead the way
While these hints are easy to talk about Never sit back and think that you're fine But remember it's people who matter And for clients we keep our toe to the line.
Michael G. Steelman
Connected
I awoke and checked my iPhone,
showered, dressed and drove to town,
opened my computer and email, before even sitting down.
I deleted spam and everything canned;
sipping coffee while perusing the news,
took a deep breath and clicked to calendar view.
I spent the day in electron gray
eyes glued to grating fine print,
one more look, never opened a book,
closed the window, and shut it down.
Kissed the wife, walked the dog;
dined with my iPad.
Said my prayers to a devoted ringtone,
and rolling over, answered my cellphone.
Paul King
Learning is Free, a Haiku
Online CLE
My Favorite Benefit
Thanks, ISBA!
Miles J. Zaremski
The I-S-B-A
Lawyers Leadership Learning
Law (group) luminance.
By submitting this poem in ISBA's Poetry Slam contest, I hereby attest that
(1) this is my own original work and (2) I'm providing approval for publication by the ISBA if chosen as a winner. : I agree to the terms
Dale A. Anderson
DIGITAL STRESS
ONE DAY I FOUND THAT LAWYERING
IN THIS COMPLEX DIGITAL AGE
WAS JUST TOO MUCH FOR ME TO BEAR
AND I LEFT IN A FIT OF RAGE
I RETIRED TO THE GOLF COURSE
TO ALLEVIATE THE STRESS
AND FOUND THAT I, UNFORTUNATELY,
WAS IN ANOTHER MESS.
I STRUCK THE BALL WITH ALL MY MIGHT
AND SENT IT UP TOWARDS HEAVEN;
I LATER FOUND IT NEAR THE GREEN
ON THE PAR 5 HOLE, NUMBER SEVEN
AND ALTHOUGH IT WAS MY LONGEST DRIVE
I WAS UPSET YOU SEE
BECAUSE THE BALL HAD SLICED A BIT
AND WAS NOW BEHIND A TREE
I THOUGHT I'D GET AROUND THE TREE
IF I HIT IT HARD, AND RIGHT
AND SO I GAVE IT MY BEST SHOT
THE GREEN WAS IN MY SIGHT
BUT DAMN, THE BALL BOUNCED OFF THE TREE
AND STRUCK ME IN THE HEAD;
I THOUGHT THAT I WAS JUST KNOCKED OUT
BUT DISCOVERED I WAS DEAD
WHEN I CAME TO, I FOUND MYSELF
WITH ST. PETER AT HEAVEN'S GATE
HE ASKED ME SEVERAL QUESTIONS
THAT I KNEW WOULD SEAL MY FATE
HE INQUIRED "ARE YOU A GOLFER"?
I REPLIED, "YES, SIR, THAT'S TRUE"
HE ASKED IF I WAS ANY GOOD
I SAID: "I GOT HERE IN TWO".
Michael Keeton
All borders in flux
Still strive to honor the oath
Protect that within
Fitzgerald Bramwell
Yay, e–filing.
Saves trees; easier for all.
Why fees, Cook County?
Kimberly Davis
There once was an older girl from county Cook, who fancied reading cases from a law book.
She liked their look,
She liked their feel,
But her spry colleagues started making a big deal.
About using computers to search far and wide, though her ineptitude for clever searches she could not hide.
Fast forward a year or two,
oh what now with the internet this lady can do!
CLE, case updates, and articles they are many, all at her fingertips for less than a penny.
She changed her ways past sixty a year,
and now she has not one tiny fear.
She no longer faxes or uses mail via snails, Now she's an expert at posts, blogs and Emails.
Her freckles have faded and her hair is grey, but she'll be a law techie for the rest of her days!
Patrick Kinnally
Anniversary
Lust could cause us
to wish, maybe
a desire we thought a plus
or just a couple minutes of sensual fame not blame, nor shame that only results in a belated mistrust and would never create what we thought might make us quite momentous when we uttered long ago "I do"
with a luscious kiss
which now
is no less excellent
than our simple vow---
we thought best.
R.J. VanSwol
"When I," the Partner said, "first practiced law, we'd none of these convenient legal tools.
To find opposing counsel's fatal flaw,
we'd scavenge books for aught that overrules his cited cases, all but memorize th'authorities supporting either side; then outline, dictate, with red pen revise, and pray naught changed the law where we relied.
Now keywords slice through document review, and downloads give us contracts ready-made; we work from home, we file from work, and new developments are instantly relayed."
Th'Associate nods, and fires off a tweet:
"I hope what's next won't make me #obsolete."
Multiple Entries By a Single Author
The following poems are by the prolific Julie Isen
There once was a girl from Chicago;
whose smart phone was ever aglow.
She always worked hard,
her approach avante garde,
And her twitter feed never laid low.
Being a luddite
is no longer an option
thanks to ethics rules
Online marketing;
must develop a presence
in order to grow
Access to email
does not mean constant access
to your attorney
Haiku for my hatred of the phone
Answering the phone
for millennial lawyer;
please just send email
So many options;
Twitter, Facebook, blogs and more
To look like a fool
Writing poetry
for an internet contest
is good use of time
Wasting time online
an exciting new pitfall
for savvy lawyers
How many billable hours can one spend
To research the opposition on end
It's all there online,
To peruse with some wine,
Or is it a folly and you should just suspend?
With cloud computing,
new dangers can arise for
unprepared lawyers
Fastcase and Lexis and other online research, Help out in ways lawyers dare not besmirch.
Long gone are the days when one had to be, In a library with books piled up to your knee.
Paper-cuts from large volumes are things of the past, And when you search, your results come up very fast.
No more carrying books heavy as a brick, Now, shepardizing can be done with a click.
So keep in mind when you're overworked and tired, You are oh so lucky to be "wired".
I do have a cell,
No you can't have the number.
Work-life balancing.
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs,
Can have attorneys working like dogs.
There are many online pages to maintain, It's important to know when to abstain.
More than just blogging and posting all the time, Is being easily accessible to clients on a dime.
Work-life balance can be harder to find, And unanswered emails make one feel way behind.
So take some extra time to think today,
About how to add in some horseplay!
Ode to the "Good Old Days"
Back in the "good old days" way back when,
No one had the internet and email access,
Signing documents was to be done in pen,
Unlike the e-sigs which are a sign of progress.
Back in the "good old days" before cellular tech,
Keeping in touch was much harder to do,
You were out of range when out on a trek,
Now you can talk to the office from the zoo.
Back in the "good old days" before your word processor,
Proof-reading actually had to be done by hand,
The assistance you get now is a work load compressor,
Your computer can do a spell check unmanned.
For all the things you do now you never could,
Perhaps the "good old days" weren't all that good.
Timothy Ting
Then and Now
Pens and paperclips
Typewriters and reporters
Handwritten scribbles
The art of practice
Organization is key
Time management skills
YouTube and Google
Smart phones and PowerPoint slides
Internet Research
Technology brings
Inevitable changes
Embrace the new ways
New School
The law I need to win this case is here – with just a click of fingertips, I thrive!
The research that the old school somewhat fears… The game has changed, the new school has arrived!
An opening or closing has no joint –
to link the words and phrases from this case.
The pictures that I use on PowerPoint –
bring tears to juries when they see the face – of humankind, the victim in this cause!
A photograph speaks volumes more, no doubt!
A Google Map can help in any cross –
examination that requires routes!
And so, you see, the old school way is gone – The sun has set, the new school brings the dawn.
Tech Wizard
The trouble with technology, you see -
is taking time out of your day to learn - to navigate the wily twists and turns - it feels ethereal, like alchemy!
How does one have the time to grow a tree?
And better yet, the wisdom to discern?
Without a rhyme or reason, no pattern!
That wood could change to gold, I long to see!
The wand advocates use in magic ways -
is not as mystical as it may seem!
The internet has wisdom that you seek!
With YouTube, you too could make grand displays!
With PowerPoint, you no longer will dream!
It's not wizardry to become a geek!
Silver Screen Advocate
12 angry men bicker over whether there truly is a time to kill - The jurors fracture:
Is it a reversal of fortune to kill a mockingbird?
My cousin Vinny inspected the anatomy of a murder - and, while this is no class action, whether in Chicago or Philadelphia - this case is big…
So,
the firm brought in the Lincoln lawyer:
the hurricane -
the rainmaker -
the devil's advocate!
Motions were filed before the trial -
but the paper chase only led the attorneys to inherit the wind...
The spotlight was still bright: murder in the first - Hopefully, the triers of fact wouldn't be a bridge of spies, a runaway jury of legally blonde fools…
At trial, the witness for the prosecution testified - but the Lincoln lawyer looked through him like the ghosts of Mississippi - exposing his primal fear for all to see… It's almost as if you could hear him whisper:
– "liar, liar" –
Still, the evidence against the client was strong - He may have been presumed innocent - but he was still the accused… and even the judge could see – this was judgement at Nuremburg.
It would take a miracle on 34th street - to believe the suspect was a law abiding citizen…
And so…
the client prays in the name of the Father… awaiting the verdict - anticipating conviction - hoping he can be counted amongst a few good men… Faithful that there will truly be Justice for all…
#freelegalresearch
The law that you seek is on FastCase!
And all that you need is to embrace -
The ISBA
Paves an easier way!
Pack free CLE in your suitcase!
Rick Hobler
Paper and Pens
(inspired on paper, with a pen, May 5, 2016, in memory of my Father, who, today, would have had his 94th birthday.)
I used to take comfort in knowing
that the time between the coming and going of information and all kinds of chatter was at least seven days (or perhaps even longer!) without even the slightest bit of care about the matter.
Now,
this is no longer the case,
for when an e-mail, or a text, or a tweet comes to my attention it must be answered and not neglected in a matter of minutes (or even seconds!) lest someone arrive at the "obvious" conclusion that I don't really give a damn or perhaps am just lost in my own confusion.
With the
chime of my phone
or a "ping" on my computer
I must react and respond
like an infatuated suitor
to review this new inquiry
and respond, in kind,
with some message filled with wisdom
or, at times, not worth even a dime.
But take heart all you Esquires
who practiced beforehand!
All is not lost
to this new way of practice!
For on THAT one day in your office
when
all..
digital…
service….
suspends….. (God forbid!)
You will be the ONLY one
who is able to use
Paper and Pens.
My Hope
(A Legal Limerick about Technology)
Please don't consider me doubtful
When, in fact, I am actually grateful
That these technologies we use every day In our offices, in some small way, Will help someone who's hopeless turn hopeful