By John DiMotto
My Friday went well. With my jury finished, I was able to catch up with signing orders, doing some legal reading and preparing for cases coming up in the next two weeks. You would be surprised how much work there is to be done in order to be ready for the "courtroom onslaught." I spent at least one hour reviewing orders for dismissal, default judgment, upcoming hearings, and disputes between lawyers as to the language in proposed orders. I also decided to get a jump on a Guardianship case set for jury this coming Monday by putting together the substantive jury instructions and special verdict form. Juries are a rarity in Guardianship cases so I decided to have everything ready to go when the attorneys show up on Monday afternoon. I got it all done after a couple of hours and sent all the attorneys an email with my work product attached for their review. My email prompted a telephone call to my clerk - the parties have resolved the case and there will be no need for a jury on Monday, just a summary hearing to finalize the agreement. You ask - does this upset me after all the work I did? Absolutely not. The outcome via resolution will ease tensions within the family of the person who was the subject of the case filing AND I have a better "handle" for any future Guardianship jury trials. It is a "win-win."
At the end of my work day, I met friends for a drink to cap off the very full week to begin a relaxing, non work weekend.
On tap today, the Marquette University - North Carolina State basketball game at the Bradley Center and then tonight I will sit down in front of my new HDTV and watch the Wisconsin - Hawaii football game.
Have a nice weekend everyone.
I find preparing jury instructions in advance insure the case will be settled.
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