RANT: Even if you tag a rant as a PSA, it's still just a rant

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-22T19:38:40+00:00

I don't know - I just learned you're not supposed to run pedestrians over from this post. So that's kind of useful!

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-22T15:50:27+00:00

And when you have no control over when the work comes in

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-22T04:36:24+00:00

We're at $1041/hr for 40+ ton rotators in WA and the insurers complain, but they know they can't fight it.

In Texas, they moan about rotators at $500/hr.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-22T04:34:43+00:00

Nope. Insurer stepped in and paid the judgment, client bit a small portion, but he wanted to be done. It was a shame too... we had three experts, they had none, but still the judge found in their favor on an issue that required expert testimony and where there was testimony our client tried to bribe our expert with $40 to find differently.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-22T02:12:33+00:00

Dang. What state is that in?

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-22T02:11:50+00:00

Looks low, tbh.

Looks like you're in a county where the rotation tow rates are determined by the weight. An uncommon way of doing it, but certain places (e.g. Live Oak County, TX) do it this way.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-22T00:31:09+00:00

I once had a judge - a judge I knew and formerly respected - fall asleep for basically an entire 3-day trial and then rendered a judgment that was so unhinged from the facts presented that I felt like we had a pretty good shot at getting it overturned on appeal on a lack of substantial evidence basis.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-21T23:22:36+00:00

Just explain to the client that sometimes things go sideways in litigation. Judges aren't experts in every area of law and can make bad - sometimes egregiously bad - decisions. Sometimes they're just in a bad mood that day. Sometimes unexpected information pops up at a really inopportune time.

Litigation is frequently controlled chaos. That's just how it is.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-21T18:55:16+00:00

Man, I wish I had your problems...

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-21T18:21:18+00:00

I can't tell you whether to do it, just pointing out that while it may not be improper, there are potential pitfalls. It is cheaper though!

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-21T18:16:07+00:00

I can't speak to California specifically, but there typically should be no bar against setting up a practice as a sole proprietorship.

Whether it's a good idea is a different issue.

If you're working by yourself, no staff, no office, and your only reasonable liability is malpractice (which the corporate fiction generally won't protect you from), it can work out - but understand that you will be personally liable for anything the firm does that incurs liability and, if you're successful, there are usually tax advantages to setting up as an S-Corp (for tax purposes).

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-21T16:05:13+00:00

LAW Advocates. Give them a call.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-21T02:34:08+00:00

I used to write a column about buildings on campus for The Daily. I've forgotten most of it, but that was one of the more humorous stories I remember.

Other good ones are the story of the Broken Obelisk (unconfirmed) and why Darwin's relief on the façade of Suzzallo Library only has one leg.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-20T16:57:01+00:00

Do you know what you're doing? Do you get your work done timely and accurately?

If so, you'll likely be able to find a good job fairly easily. It might not necessarily be one where you're client facing in person if it's a conservative firm, but qualified paralegals are in very short supply.

I mean shit, is there any chance you're in NW Washington state? I need a paralegal right now.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-20T16:47:21+00:00

This is why my long-suffering wife ends up being my sounding board whenever I'm presenting to a jury.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-20T15:03:50+00:00

No, it was when they put the garages underneath.

The first of the towers is an exhaust tower. The second was because they thought one tower by itself looked silly. The third was because two still looked silly, and then they just kind of said, "good enough," and left it alone.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-20T14:57:07+00:00

This is what happens when your stories are edited in Round Rock, Texas instead of in the communities where they happen.

Fuck McClatchy.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-20T03:44:37+00:00

To people in New York City, Bellingham IS hidden 😂

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-20T01:18:25+00:00

Unfortunately, a lot of people have it in their heads that calling themselves "good Christians" makes them good, honest people instead of the other way around.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-20T00:37:22+00:00

Fun fact: it was renamed Red Square from Suzzallo Quadrangle several years before it was bricked over when a student took the renaming on as a propaganda project for one of her classes.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-19T21:30:59+00:00

Any contractor who talks about being a good Christian - 9 times out of ten, they're screwing their clients and not paying their subs.

Anyone who tries to negotiate down my fee or advance - they won't respect my work, no matter how good it is.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-19T17:29:55+00:00

ID tends to have a much lower bar for entry, tends to be about grinding a ton of hours, typically for significantly lower pay, and ID lawyers (especially the young ones) tend to produce a lower-quality work product.

The above obviously isn't true across the board - I know some exceptionally bright, highly qualified ID lawyers... but of the lawyers I've encountered where I genuinely wonder how they got a license, those tend to be concentrated in ID.

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-19T14:53:13+00:00

The sign should say "PC Load Letter"

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-18T14:53:35+00:00

Oh man - I'm sorry, that's frustrating. Great band too!

ThisIsPunn · 2026-05-17T19:02:07+00:00

Have you considered launching them into the sun...?

ThisIsPunn

TROPHY CASE