Tag Archives: lawyer

The Cage by Bonnie Kistler, a Review

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I bought this book after seeing the author on Jeopardy a couple of weeks ago.

The book was good, but it was one of those books where I didn’t really care for the protagonist. She was just thoroughly unlikeable throughout the book. We’re supposed to feel sorry for her for being trapped in a situation beyond her control and for having lost her job in the economic downturn in 2008. But she just grated on my nerves. She was a total snob and wouldn’t even consider a lower level legal job when she lost the Wall Street job, even to the point of choosing to live in the slums as a better option than taking a job she deemed beneath her. It was pretty weird. She also, to be such a snob, had a victim mentality and was a liar. To the point of lying on her resume which offends me greatly.

So, I asked myself, why are you keeping on reading? I don’t have an answer to that. But read on, I did. Lol.

The villain was very one dimensional and clearly a sociopath. He irritated me too. I wanted to smack him for his pure evilness with no redeeming qualities at all- such a vicious man.

A very big hint was dropped at a point in the story and I kept waiting for someone to mention it and check on that aspect of the protagonist’s story, but it never was mentioned again until the last two pages of the book.

The protagonist was a lawyer (as is the author) but she violated the number one rule you learn as a lawyer. If you’re detained by the police, you never, ever give a statement even if you are innocent as traps lay everywhere in an interrogation room. You invoke your right to counsel, discuss your knowledge of the matter with your lawyer, and make an informed decision with the benefit of counsel on what to share. This character rattled on to the police—not just once, but over and over—and was basically hoisted on her own petard. Her lies caused her way more distress than she ever needed to face. But I guess without that stupid move there would be no book, right?

All that being said, it was a pretty good story, just not really anyone to root for in the tale, except maybe the women who were ultimately saved.

The First Time I Started Using a Computer

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my first computer

I first got a computer for my work as a lawyer in the 1980s when MS DOS was the program everyone used. I used it basically for word processing. We also used it for accounting. Little did I imagine that one day a majority of all the court filings in my area would be computerized and the whole world was going to change. I never took typing in school as I always planned to be a lawyer and have a secretary. Poor, naive me. I had no clue of the learning still to be done!

I first got a home computer in late 1996 when prodigy was the main portal to the internet. I dipped my toe in and started emailing and using message boards. I still find myself looking at the keyboard to find letters all the time. I’m able to use more than 2 fingers now but it took a long time to get proficient with it.

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Funny Sign

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When I was in Burbank, California, I went to this donut shop twice. It’s called Donut Prince. They have the  freshest, best donuts I’ve ever tasted. They have a wall of photos in the place with lots of celebrities that have been there.  This sign is on the window.  The lawyer in me loves it. 

Tried to Tell You

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Lawyer bear!

An “I told you so moment”

I can’t really say exactly what that moment was because I’m a lawyer and it was with a client. I sure wish that one had heeded my advice from the start as all of our lives would’ve been easier. MUCH easier- I DID tell the person they should have listened to me and the issue would’ve never arisen. Query: Why hire a lawyer if you’re going to ignore the advice?

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Not really have much to say

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Just that I’m leaving with my alter-ego, Jillian Chantal, in the morning for the National Romance Writer’s of America conference in Orlando.  I’m chained to my desk at the moment trying to put  out all the fires here at the day job.  I have gotten several stupid emails from other attorneys and answering them is bogging me down.  Just FYI, if you email me about a case, give me the dang case  number so I can find it AND another FYI- don’t ask me to sign documents on a closed case.  DUH!  It’s closed for a reason.  IT’S OVER!!!  No way to file the document even if I had the authority after case closing to sign the dang thing.  If you’re gonna play ball in my ball field, learn the rules!

Ok. rant over. Back to my regularly scheduled work.  Gotta get it done so I can get out of here and not fret too much.

ball field

FIRE!

shackled to my desk