CLE

 Ah, to stay an active member of the Florida Bar. I'd a never thunk it -- I'd still be a licensed lawyer approaching my 40th year. Paul had his 50th anniversary in 2025 -- sent a nice plastic plate and certificate to my house for him, since my house is our official Bar address now.

It's funny -- Paul was chatting with a rich guy where he lives, and the fellow was telling us he has a 1.5 acre property in the Five Towns of LI. I KNOW that's worth serious coin. The fellow, who I think was named Irwin, asked where our office was -- and Paul responded -- "Down on Brickell." I chuckled to myself -- even though we've been mostly retired for years now, and if you try to get Paul on the phone, it may take a day or two -- he can't give up the image yet -- as if Irwin was going to refer a case to us.

We actually DO get cases, still -- late last week I was on the phone with one of our guys, David, on his way home from signing up a client in Broward -- truck wreck. I have ZERO problem telling everyone we don't have a staff -- just a couple of old guys who still keep an active firm. But, as Richie Aprile said on The Sopranos -- to each his own.

But anyway, to stay licensed and current, you have to take continuing education classes -- thirty hours over a 3 year period plus a 2.5 hour mandatory professionalism seminar. Since today was a slow day, and I got in my 3.5 miles of walking, I dedicated all afternoon to the effort.

I was bored stiff for 2 2 hour sessions about mindfulness and dealing with difficult clients, and another about changes in areas of the law I have zero to do with. But the Florida Bar class was something I looked a little forward to, since Norman gave me advance warning.

My old boss Ed's boy Bobby's disbarment was featured. Bobby never stole money, or comingled trust account funds, or was convicted of a felony -- the trinity of typical disbarment reasons. He just kept acting like an asshole -- in Court, in depositions. One of his escapades was video taped, and they play it for the lesson on how to NOT be an asshole -- Bobby reaching across the table and snatching some stickers from his opposing counsel, and telling a woman lawyer she must "be a dominatrix."

I guess Bobby had enough of the Law anyway -- I mean -- after the first 2 strikes, if he wanted to keep his ticket he could have -- but as Norman pointed out, his Dad wanted fame as a successful lawyer, which he had years ago, but his son is the TRULY famous lawyer -- for getting kicked out of the club.

The last section was a talk by a former Miami big shot lawyer now living in Miami, who came across SO smarmy, I wished I was good enough with tech to send it to Barry. The guy reminded me of James Lipton, the Actor's Studio guy Barry and I used to poke endless fun over -- this fellow actually ended his talk by suggesting we look up videos by his mentors, and "enjoy them with friends, or maybe over a glass of wine."

Yeah -- no thanks, dude. For me it would be vodka, and the LAST videos I would ever watch would be of self important lawyers.

Anyway, I have lots of time -- I'm current until October of 2027, and the CLE I'm doing now will get me there, and then I'll have until October of 2030 to do more -- or will I?

I kind of always thought I'd be a lawyer maybe 10 to 20 years, tops -- make and invest enough shekels to get me where I needn't deal with, well, assholes on a daily basis -- even now that the Bar is trying to tame some of the asshole behavior, it seems.

So 4 decades? Seems like plenty. Now I just have to get in some hours on "technology" -- maybe that will actually teach me something. I'll probably knock a few more hours off this week -- but next weekend is filled.

My nephew Henry is coming Saturday, and staying 3 nights. He has a video gig on the Beach -- last time it was a tech company from SF who hired him to film their daily corporate team building stuff, edit it, and show it each night -- cutting out the cocaine and hooker parts. Ha. I made that up!

But I look forward to catching up with Henry -- I think Sunday the Ds and grandkids and all dogs will join us -- Henry doesn't drink much, but he will. We will NOT, however, try to get him to violate his veganism -- even if we have that 3rd martini.

Speaking of which, maybe I'll take Atty Smarmy's advice, and go pour myself a Sunday night happy hour -- no videos, though -- maybe just some Tom Petty on the Sonos.