Bunnies on a sofa
2002-07-16, 12:32 p.m.

Does obtaining a law degree automatically commit you to a lifetime of bad handwriting?

I witnessed a will yesterday and the lawyer commented on my nice handwriting...he said it wasn't a lawyer's handwriting...I told him, I still had a year to perfect the scrawl.

The lawyer that I work for directly has terrible handwriting. He looks over my work product and often writes notes about changes in the margin. I've given up trying to decipher it and I just lug the files back to his office to ask him what he wrote.

Recently, one of the associate attorneys left the firm. She had been handling a rather acrimonious divorce. The couple decided to get back together a week before the lawyer left the firm. But she didn't complete her billing. So, that task fell to me. This is going to be one damn expensive marital fight.

The attorney apparently did not like to use the computer. So, I had to hunt down her handwritten timesheets. I finally found them and discovered that she had the worst handwriting in the firm--despite the "please write legibly" request.

The next 3 and 1/2 hours went something like this:

(imagine little thought bubbles appearing above nudeplatypus' head):

"Oh, that client's name starts with an 'm.' So, does the client I'm looking for."

"But we have lots of clients whose names starts with m. It could be anyone of those. Oh well, bill it to her anyway."

"So, client: M, date: 5/1, Time spent: .75 hours, services: teleconference regarding..."

"regarding..."

"regarding..."

"regarding...bunnies on the sofa!"

"What a second that doesn't make any sense...why would she be talking about bunnies on a sofa...damnit...sometimes, I hate this job."

Then, I went off tangent and thought about how much I wanted a cat...but that a bunny would be a cool pet too. If only the evil roommate liked animals.

20 minutes later and back to the billing

"oh well, on to the next one. OOO, that one starts with an M and ends with an O...definitely the client that I am looking for."

"So, client: m, date: 5/4, Time spent: 1.5 hours, service: office visit regarding settlement of..."

"settlement of..."

"settlement of..."

"settlement of bunnies on the sofa!"

"Arggghhh, I give up!"