Suit of the Week: DALB

120 Comments

1. I am so upset about our current political situation. With RBG’s death and Republican’s blatant hypocrisy, I am feeling the shock and anger of the 2016 election all over again. I have never been more involved politically than I have been the last 4 years. I’ve set up recurring donations and frequently contacted my representatives about causes that are important to me and am currently writing postcards to undecided voters in swing states. I live in Utah and have told Mitt Romeny exactly what I think of his decision to move forward with a confirmation right now. But I can’t help but feel like nothing I have done or can do will make a difference in this Twilight Zone we are living through. I am so angry. I am also so tired of being angry all the time about something that I have so little ability to influence. Just … ugh.

   1. This is how I felt after the 2016 election. I was in so much pain for weeks after the election that I distanced myself (a wee bit) from national politics. I still pay attention, but not to the same extent. It’s probably bad, but I’m scared to get too invested this time around. I’ve thought about volunteering to support Biden and I probably ultimately will, but I’m scared of getting crushed again.

   2. In the same boat and so are my friends. I’m writing to voters, making donations, and doing what I can, but I’m terrified that Trump is not going to step down and will in fact put in state electors to make him win the election (per the report in The Atlantic). Seriously considering making an exit strategy.

      1. Aren’t exit strategies just as futile for most of us? I don’t think there’s a great demand for Americans outside the US or a warm welcome awaiting you.

         1. I appreciate your self awareness anonymous! Americans truly don’t realized that most developed national aren’t interested in them immigrating.

         2. If you have the money, there are handful of countries where you can buy your residency.

            Other people can get citizenship through family if they go through the process.

            I agree that there are few exit strategies, but there are some.

            1. Are these English speaking countries where you can buy your way in? Are we talking spending money or just demonstrating you can support yourself indefinitely with your millions … or is it billions? I really don’t know … maybe Tom Hanks partially bought his way into Greece & Daniel Day Lewis into Ireland? Other examples?

            2. Google Malta. You can buy citizenship there for a steep price. There would certainly be worse places to be than Malta.

      2. I would not be to concerned. Biden is being universally endorsed by Cindy McCain, a long time Arizona Republican, who is also the widow of Senator John McCain, an American Hero, who was dissed by Trump when he died. With all of the efforts to unseat Trump, this will sureley happen and you need not fret about it or plan to leave the country. That is not going to happen.

      3. You all didn’t accept your defeat in 2016 and America got through it. We remember how you recounted and tried to sway the electors.

         1. Go away, Ivanka.

   3. It’s a small thing but I never watch DT on tv/video or listen to him speak. I started in 2016 immediately after the election. I change the channel if the news is on and he is shown. I still keep up on what is happening daily but the fact that I can’t even remember what he sounds like helps.

      1. I avoid him in the same way. His actual voice makes feel immediate rage. I read transcripts or news reports of all his speeches, but I can’t actually listen to him talk without my blood pressure skyrocketing in the first 30 seconds.

         1. Exactly what I do.

   4. Right there with you. I am angry, I am afraid, and I don’t see this getting better on Nov. 3.

   5. The number one way to influence things is to be active locally. Towns and cities have elected and appointed roles on committees, or you can volunteer on campaigns. The pandemic response has highlighted just how important local leadership is.

   6. No advice, but I am right there with you. I was reading something (I think on CNN but can’t remember) about how Biden is going to have a hard time “winning” any of the debates because Trump is just a bully and lies. It sounds like that saying “never argue with an idiot because they will bring your down to their level and beat you with experience.” Like the prior commentators, I’m donating money, writing to voters, and making sure that everyone I know has a voting plan. I am in North Carolina (Charlotte), and while the yards on my street are filled with Biden/Harris, Cal Cunningham, Black Lives Matter and “Hate Has No Home Here” signs, I know that 30 minutes away from here it’s a different world. I just don’t know what else to do and I’m already so worried about what November is going to bring.

      1. I’m in a blue state, I have resources (including enough resources for an exit strategy if needed), I have donated and written and helped campaign at all levels, and I’m scared. I wish I didn’t have social media. I wish I didn’t know how many people in my area really were Trumpers and who believe and pass on the lies. I want to retreat into a cocoon of only myself, spouse, my mother, my sister / her family and my kids, as these are like the only people I know to be sane. I am voting TOMORROW in early voting in Illinois but I will be on pins and needles til the election, if not longer.

   7. One of my former colleagues wanted to “catch up” so we scheduled a zoom meeting. It turns out he wanted to commiserate about RBG and the hypocrisy of senate republicans. We agree perfectly but I still didn’t want to talk about it. For him, it’s like talking about your sports team when they’re losing. For me it’s so much more.

2. What happened to Breonna Taylor was a tragedy, full stop. Horrible. But to me, the right solution is to outlaw no knock warrants. The officers were here doing what they were told – what they were told was wrong, because these shouldn’t be allowed, but still, they were here under the law. And then they were fired at – again, understandable from the fiance’s perspective, and justified, but weren’t they then justified in firing back?

   1. Yes, no-knock warrants should be outlawed in all but the most extreme circumstances, which should be monitored and regulated to within an inch of their lives. The officers should never have fired back, but retreated.

   2. Let’s say they weren’t cops. Let’s say they were breaking into your home, not Breonna’s. Let’s say your fiancé fired a gun and they fired back. Were they justified in doing so, when they were literally breaking into your home? Would you expect them to do jail time for this, or would you expect them to be able to use self-defense as an excuse, since they were fired upon first (while breaking into your home)?

      1. If you want to use a civilian analogy, you have to also assume that the people going in were mistakenly under the impression that they had a legal right to enter. From everything I’ve read (which is not everything about the case, so perhaps I am incorrect), I don’t believe there is an allegation that the officers intentionally and knowingly went into the wrong house. That makes the analogy a whole lot messier.

         1. The officers didn’t go into the wrong house, that was misinformation early in the case. They were there with a legal warrant for Ms. Taylor, and apparently thought she was home alone, which was a serious mistake.

         2. I agree with your larger point, but the police did not have the wrong address. Breanna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend was a suspect in a drug case and the police had a warrant to search her apartment because of her association with him.

            1. They didn’t execute their warrant properly and they obtained the warrant based on incorrect information. She had dated him two years earlier. It’s scary AF that a bad boyfriend, years ago, can result in a woman getting shot based on wrong info.

            2. @3:35 anon: She was holding onto thousands of dollars for him, and had been to/from his other drug house with him in the months leading up to the warrant. She is on jail calls talking with him about his dealings. There is a lot of misinformation out there about this case; you should listen to the NYTimes Daily podcast on it from a couple of weeks ago to clear up some of that misinformation.

            3. @not quite? So you think it was okay to shoot her in her bed? Because they thought (wrongly) they might find drugs?

               They lied to get the warrant and NO drugs were found at the apartment.

               Looks like an attempt to intimidate her into testifying against her ex.

            4. @6:29 – … No? I didn’t say that? My point was that your comment actually contained the misinformation, not the warrant that they were executing, which was a lawful warrant based on accurate information and which is why there isn’t evidence to justify charging murder. I think there are a lot of problems with policing that this case demonstrates – but this whole claim that she wasn’t the target of the warrant, they got the wrong house, their information was years old, just isn’t true.

         3. I stand corrected! Thank you for updating me.

      2. Not justified, because they were there illegally in the first place and would be guilty of felony murder. The cops were there legally though. I don’t see a strong case for criminal liability but I am very open to being corrected. The troubling part to me is how the police department responded after (charging the bf, etc) and that a no-knock warrant was ever legal just to catch a drug dealer.

         1. Yes, OP here. The charging of the boyfriend (I thought fiance, but it doesn’t matter) is CRAZY and INSULTING and HORRIBLE and ALL THE OTHER WORDS.

   3. 1. They didn’t have a ‘no knock’ warrant, they had a knock and announce warrant. They violated their own warrant. Per NYT, 11/12 neighbors did not hear an announcement. 12th neighbor reported hearing ‘police’ once.
      2. He was justified because he thought they were intruders.
      3. They fired 20 shots to try and seize drugs. They could have retreated and announced. Worst case, the evidence is destroyed. Drug evidence is not worth killing people.
      4. There were no drugs anyway and they had their info wrong.

      1. We’re they looking for drugs or a drug dealer? Not sure it matters, but I am asking for clarification.

         1. Drugs. Based on a lie used to obtain the warrant that she had received packages via USPS. The drug dealer ex boyfriend lived ten miles away.

   4. Louisville has already outlawed no knock warrants. Houston has also put in constraints on no knock warrants after an innocent couple was shot during a raid that was based on falsified evidence. (That officer was indicted for murder.)

      According to the NYT, the officers were justified in shooting back, as they were in imminent fear of their lives. The officer who was charged shot without a clear line of sight. Unfortunately, people are going to protest because they disagree with the verdict — no revenge, no peace. It’s unfortunate because support and allies will be lost. Our justice system should not support Indictments based on emotion instead of law.

      1. Nope, they could have retreated.

         1. No they couldn’t. Retreating could have left them completely exposed. Officers are trained to shoot until the threat is neutralized.

            1. I’ve done use of force training with police. Including all the gun stuff. You shoot only at identified targets. You do not shoot blindly at unarmed people.

               She did not hold a gun and was not shooting at them. If she was a white lady in a suburban house, you’d be outraged, not justifying the police actions.

      2. “no revenge, no peace.”

         Cute. Really sets the stage for the rest of your concern-trolling.

   5. I know I can collapse the thread, and trust me I am, but I really wish this weren’t the very top thread. I just don’t have enough energy for this today.

      1. I really wish this site would move to a forum-style format. If there were different subforums for politics, parenting, personal growth, etc., as well as a daily open thread, I think more people would benefit.

         1. Just for the other side, I totally disagree. I really like how they are all mixed together.

      2. I hear you, but it’s such privilege to just collapse the thread and move on with your day.

         1. Aren’t we over-using the term privilege? Anyone can collapse a thread. You don’t have to be a wealthy white woman to do so.

   6. I agree. I never understood the outrage at the officers. People should be mad at the powers that be who made the decision to send them in based on bad information. It’s unclear why there is outrage at those without power the change the situation

      1. Because the officers killed someone. Why do you not get that? Why do you have to give them the benefit of the doubt when we know now, more than ever, about how officer abuses are swept under the rug and justice is almost never served?

         Going to leave this site for a while after this.

      2. Because they didn’t do their jobs. They obtained a warrant based on wrong info, they executed the warrant improperly and they shot when they should have retreated. Is there anything they did correctly?

         People are ALSO mad at the ‘powers that be’, but that doesn’t mean these individual officers are not at fault.

         1. Serious question, do you think investigators and officers are the same people? That those who obtained the warrant are the same people who knocked down the door? I’m trying to parse out if people generally find the delineation of roles unclear

            1. The investigators obtained the warrant improperly because it was based on incorrect information – the postal service issued a clarification that the police service misrepresented the evidence. The executing officers did not execute in accordance with the terms of the warrant (knock and announce) which is there literally job. Then they used inappropriate force by shooting an unarmed woman. Multiple people screwed up.

         2. What information was wrong? Her ex-boyfriend was a drug dealer, and told people she was holding money for him. She had aided him in another crime, by renting a car. They had a longterm off and on relationship that at the time had been off for just a few months. The NYT did an in-depth article about what happened a few weeks ago, which made me realize that much of what I had thought happened was actually wrong.

            Ms. Taylor’s death is an incredible tragedy, and the Louisville PD has been very clear about their deep regret. But we don’t charge officers because we think they should be charged, we charge them based on the law. I have very limited sympathy for people that are outraged over a legal ruling that was predicted by many legal experts as expected and fair.

            1. You asked what info was wrong. The police LIED to get the warrant:

               “A detective wrote in an affidavit that he’d seen Glover leave Taylor’s apartment about two months before with a USPS package before driving to a “known drug house.” The detective wrote that he then verified “through a US Postal Inspector” that Glover had been receiving packages at Taylor’s address. A U.S. postal inspector in Louisville, however, told WDRB News Friday that LMPD didn’t use his office to verify that Glover was receiving packages at Taylor’s apartment. Postal inspector Tony Gooden told WDRB that a different agency had asked in January to look into whether Taylor’s home was receiving suspicious mail, but that the office had concluded it wasn’t.”
               source: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/05/16/breonna-taylor-attorneys-say-police-supplied-false-information/5205334002/

            2. To anonymous at 4:14, there were five reasons given by the police for the warrant. One was that her former boyfriend had packages delivered to her house, and according to the NYT, this is correct.

               I strongly suggest that you read the NYT August article about this case. It is a nuanced look at what happened. It doesn’t make it any less a tragedy.

            3. Unclear why you believe an NYT report over the USPS actually saying this didn’t happen.

               And if they gave 5 reasons – they included things like the detective who lied about the USPS claiming that he saw her at her ex’s house. I don’t believe anything he said to obtain the warrant as it is proven he is a liar.

            4. Unfortunately I don’t think Breonna Taylor is the best “case” for this. I trust the NYTimes reporting on this one, and the former boyfriend was sending her packages to her house.

      3. Completely agree, but reason has long left the room, and we are now letting the public give verdicts based on emotions.

         1. I mean, there is no verdict, so we’re definitely not.

         2. There’s no verdict, the officers weren’t even charged with murder, and there is going to be a whole jury trial on the one charge against the one officer. You are being melodramatic, ironically based on emotions.

            1. And the one charge is not even for Breonna Taylor’s death…

            2. Well that’s what we’ve been told, no? Riots until there’s “justice”?

   7. There was a similar case in Houston last year – a no knock raid resulting in the death of a couple. In this case a police officer had lied to obtain a warrant and that officer was charged with felony murder. The other officers who were merely executing the warrant were not.

      1. That seems totally fair to me.

         1. Not fair in cancel culture! Cops are all evil and must be tried! The trial must yield a guilty verdict or it has obviously been tampered with! /s

            1. I’m a special snowflake and it offends me when the police are held accountable for killing black people.

            2. Thanks for this valuable contribution to the discussion.

            3. If it’s wrong to be upset when cops commit murder and never get punished, then I don’t want to be right.

            4. Anonymous at 4:16 — why do you assume the couple killed by the police were black? Educate yourself.

            5. @Anon 4:02pm I’m obv referencing cops killing black people in general – that’s the systemic nation wide issue. Special snowflakes get so upset anytime cops are held accountable.

            6. Some cops are evil.
               What about the cops that are silently complacent in their comrades’ wrong doings ? What are they afraid of?

   8. Search on the name Hannah Fizer. Where’s the outrage?

      1. Sorry – what is your argument? There is insufficient outrage about HF therefore we should not be outraged about BT?

         Cops should be held accountable for all improper shootings.

         When someone campaigns about ‘save the whales’ do you respond with ‘what about the octopuses’?

   9. What fiance? He was the on-again, on-again dude she dated when the other guy was in jail.

      1. Shhhhh

3. I am a lifelong side-sleeper but side sleeping after age 40 is making my shoulders/neck/upper back feel not great. I have been trying to break the habit and usually succeed in falling asleep on my back but inevitably move to a side position during the night. Any tips to stay on my back?

   1. What about just investing in great side sleeping pillows and practicing sleeping with your hips and knees aligned?

      1. Slight threadjack here – do you (or anyone) have good recs for side-sleeping pillows? I am a side sleeper and we got a new mattress in March and it helps A LOT, but I’ve been seeing posts here recommending special pillows for side sleepers and now I’m wondering if that will help even more, so I would love some recommendations on brands (embarrassingly, until this year I didn’t even realize that side sleepers needed special mattresses or pillows).

         1. https://www.amazon.sg/Martha-Stewart-Collection-Science-Contour/dp/B00WTUM34A

            This is currently unavailable on Amazon, but this is the side sleeper pillow I have that I LOVE. You may be able to find it elsewhere, so I am including it with the explanation that the contour shape of this pillow cradles the head and supports the neck really well.

            1. Thank you!

            2. Side sleeper here. Without a side sleeping pillow I have debilitating neck pain. I have this pillow and several similar. I’ve gotten them from amazon and also Costco.

   2. Wear pokey barrettes or clips in your hair at your temples and above your ears to make side sleeping painful enough to shift in your sleep. I did this when I needed to break my side-sleeping habit after getting some cartilage piercings.

   3. A firm mattress.

4. I have been tired and fatigued lately, despite getting enough sleep — actually, more than I did in Before Times now that I’m working from home. I mentioned this to DH and how frustrated I was, and he said that he’s noticed I’ve been tossing and turning more than usual. So something is up with my sleep quality, but I’m not sure what. How do I proceed next? Talk to my PCP? Go straight to a sleep specialist?

   1. You could do all of this, though I’d try to troubleshoot it at home too — You could also try limiting your sleep to your old hours. Maybe it was less but better quality sleep & now you’re sleeping to much. You could try exercising more so you’re more tired at night, melatonin, warm bath before bed, lavender aromatherapy, sleeping alone, getting a new mattress, etc

      1. This. Work on sleep hygiene first.

   2. It might not really apply in your case, but when I went through a bad bout of insomnia / poor sleeping, the best advice that I got from sleep experts was to go to bed later. It sounds very counter intuitive, but it is what I really needed. When I ensured I was in my bed for no more than 6 hours (to start), my sleep quality went way up because I was tired enough to sleep soundly..

      There is an app called CBT-i that guides you through the process of tracking your sleep hours/sleep quality etc.
      If you go to a sleep specialist, they will likely work on the same thing.

   3. You could also get your cortisol levels checked. My were astronomical and my sleep quality sucked as a result. I started taking a supplement with ashwagandha and it helped quite a bit.

5. Rothys slip on sneakers – worth it? Are the “sand” colored ones too light and won’t wash well? I’ve been reading varying reviews!

   1. I love my Rothy’s slip on – I have them in black. My sister has them in white and wears them all the time. Remember, Rothy’s are very washable https://share.rothys.com/x/4DRniw

6. Recs for company for short term and long-term disability insurance? I was turned down by Northwestern Mutual about two years ago for health-related reasons despite there being no diagnosis. Health issue is still undiagnosed, and I’d like to get insurance from a company that is maybe more flexible with health conditions. Any help is appreciated!

7. What protective measures are the women of this community considering to protect their property rights if DJT is re-elected and SCOTUS turns 6-3 arch-conservative?

   I am a single, 40-ish woman and I am fearful of having everything I’ve worked for either outright taken away or indirectly taken away via granting of various ownership interests to my elderly dad, brothers, etc. E.g. my significant savings account doesn’t below to just me anymore; my spendthrift dad now has authority over it.

   Thoughts or advice? I know it sounds wacky but ALL of 2020 would sound wacky just a year ago…

   1. None. I don’t think anyone wants my property.

   2. Restricting women’s property rights just may be the one proposal I haven’t heard of before.

   3. Honestly, I think realistic fears are more about access to abortion, gay marriage / equal protection for the LGBT community, and the threat of losing coverage based on pre-existing conditions — not a fear that 40 yo women are going to have their bank accounts forcibly turned over to their brothers.

   4. This sounds wacky. I do not believe either Gorsuch or Kavanaugh or even Thomas has such inclinations.

   5. Uh, still sounds wacky. And I’m kind of an alarmist. Get an IUD if you want to do anything.

      1. Plan B is available on Amazon without a prescription. I feel semi-insane for buying a few packs, but it’s still legal at this point, right?

   6. You can’t be serious.

   7. In the same boat, have similar questions, and have read the handmaid’s tale. What I don’t have is good advice. Agree it’s wacky but in the wake of a Trump win it’s going to be a legit question: what rights will they start taking away first and how long till that affects women more severely than men? It’s scary to consider and I hope you don’t let it stop you from doing what needs to be done now to protect democracy and women’s rights.
      I don’t know if you are into scifi or other fiction but if the things you bring up start happening, then it’s definitely time to go rogue, abandon the life you had and make history being the next woman in a long women to work against their oppressors.

   8. I know many very conservative, deeply religious people. I don’t know a single person who is advocating for women to lose all property rights.

      1. In my experience there isn’t much of an overlap with conservative, deeply religious people and single women, or single women with wealth. Perhaps the people you know are all around better than those I’ve dealt with but women being under the rule of man whether in a marriage relationship, as a church member, or in general the support of Patriarchal culture is very near and dear to the conservative, deeply religious people I know. If given the chance, I would not trust these people to make decisions that left a single woman’s autonomy untouched.
         Perhaps I need to meet the people you know and restore my faith in that group.

         1. The group includes single women, including single women who have great accomplishments under their belts. You could very well know people in this group too. In many circles, it is very unpopular to be seen as religious so people hide their religious convictions.

      2. Seconding this.

      3. Thirded.

   9. I’m concerned about healthcare, especially abortion/pregnancy health rights. But there is an approximately zero chance that women’s property rights are going to be stripped away by SCOTUS. They just don’t have that kind of power. The reason SCOTUS has been so important to civil rights is because our legislature has been ineffective at protecting those rights. If Democrats take the House and Senate then they can pass laws that will protect those rights much better than SCOTUS precedent.

   10. If you truly believe this, I guess your best course of action is to find a husband who has similar values as you.

       Or cut your hair short and pretend to be a male, which includes guarding your property with guns while a confederate flag flies outside of your residence?

   11. None because this really isn’t a reasonable concern. I and many other women are, however, considering alternative plans for what will happen if we need abortions.

   12. I’m not doing anything personally for me because as an upper middle class white woman, my life is unlikely to change much. That said, I will take as many opportunities as I can to help protect populations who will be affected. I just don’t know what that looks like yet.

   13. I think you need a therapist. No one is going to do this.

   14. As much as I despise and am horrified by the prospect of another 4 years of Trump, this is one of the most oddest and most unlikely propositions I have ever heard from a fellow liberal.

       The Republican Party still has to cater to white female red voters who can’t be bothered to care about minorities or poor people but care plenty about their own well-being. Think about, for example, how some famous Fox News anchors like Meghan Kelly left when they personally were impacted by the sexism in their workplace…but were perfectly content spouting racist content until then.

       1. This. Republicans only like policies that can be justified as going after the “wrong kind” of women — those s1uts who have premarital sex and want “the taxpayers” to pay for their birth control and want abortions, lesbians, single moms, low wage workers who speak out against sexual harassment…

          1. Tell me again why Republicans would want to confiscate the bank account of a single mom who otherwise could support herself, this making her have to go on welfare.

   15. I don’t think you are crazy to worry about this. One of the speakers at the RNC thinks there should be one vote per household, cast by the male head of the house. Much of the patriarchal model could be restored at the federal level by a USSC ruling that sex discrimination isn’t unconstitutional after all, and a repeal by Congress of the 1970s gender blind banking laws. Then we would be left with a patchwork of state laws, some of which are really antiquated. As a Californian I would be fine but I would not suggest moving to a red state. If you are worried I would research state laws and consider whether you and your assets are located in a state that is unlikely to change in this manner. Remember that your banking agreement subjects you to Delaware laws.

   16. I’m keeping more cash on hand than usually did, and trying to keep better track of records and paperwork. But I’m married.

       In your position, I’d think about trying to designate beneficiaries that aren’t family members, have paperwork in multiple locations in case there is some question as to your ownership of any property, basically extreme documentation. I do agree it’s unlikely, but it would probably make you feel better to get this stuff together.

8. I received this article today with Judge tips of a successful virtual hearing and I can’t help but feel like they are expecting a bit too much here. No pictures on the wall? Yes, law students could set up a perfect space for an interview that happens one time. Those of us with hearings often have them weekly. Law students don’t normally have kids and a spouse at home (though I recognize some do) or even pets for that matter. Of course it is easier for them to have the perfect setup.

   I’m one of the lucky ones with a dedicated home office yet I still have a window behind me. I’m trying to think of a creative way to retool my L shaped desk to avoid that. I put a tapestry over it so it isn’t bright yet it still is visible and doesn’t look the most professional. I have a bulletin board that shows up in the corner that has a few awards on it.

   Regarding not looking at second screens, most of us do not have access to our firm printers right now and thus are going through documents electronically while we argue, which by necessity, are on a second screen.

   I keep my door open for stronger wifi but if the dog starts barking, I have to lean over and shut it.

   I guess I was just hopeful people realized the reality of the situation and didn’t expect perfection. Based on this guideline I think I have it about 80% right but I was a bit put off at the tone of “you should have figured it out by now.” For most people, their home situation isn’t any different than it was in March. I think I’m just feeling whiney. Thanks for reading.

   https://www.nhbar.org/five-tips-for-successful-advocacy-in-the-world-of-video-hearings/

   1. They’re tips not commandments. Chill

   2. Yikes, you sound like you have some misplaced anger at law students because you assume they have “easier” conditions. I’m sure they could also come up with a list of reasons they have it harder than you.

      You could presumably decide you don’t care about any of this (and you probably don’t have to unless you’re being told this personally). Or you could move your furniture so that your back is not to the window (and having a view outside while at work can sometimes be great). Replace your desk if you have too. Or you could figure out how to get a better Wi-Fi signal in your office (put a router in there?). I think you should also consider that it might be time to shift your idea of this arrangement from something “temporary” and that everyone is making do/getting by with into something that has become lasting and necessary to accommodate. Don’t think of work from home as a day by day or week by week thing. This home office is your workplace now.

      Anyone who thinks looking at documents electronically is a problem is not living in 2020.

      1. Thanks! I am considering ways I could reconfigure my office. The reason it is difficult to put my desk facing the window is the windows are dormered (I think that’s the phrase) so a desk doesn’t really fit in that space. I could rotate 90 degrees though. It would look weird but be more functional for Zoom. I definitely don’t consider this a short term arrangement but there are only so many things I can do to improve the situation.

         I have no misplaced anger at law students I just thought the comparison wasn’t on point. I appreciate the feedback and will give it thought.

         1. I just want to say this is a very gracoius response, OP.

   3. I know this is a day late, but I’m in hearings all day so I missed this!
      I am an attorney at an agency that conducts online hearings all the time. One of the ALJs I work for wrote a similar list of suggestions. I’m the lucky person tasked with sending this document to parties before we have a hearing. I get pushback from some of the attorneys. I try to explain that this is the ALJs attempt to be helpful. She realizes that people are trying their best and might not be able to implement every suggestion. However, she would rather give people a chance to put their best foot forward.
      After 4 months of watching a LOT of attorneys in hearings, I can tell you that there are some folks that really like to push the bounds of reasonable. I’m talking hoarder level clutter in the background. Using a second screen to obviously work on another matter. Nose picking! Man spreading! After a while it is just so frustrating.
      All said, I’m sure your 80% compliance is great and you are not the person this is aimed at.
      You have hit the nail on the head that this lays bare another level of inequality in the legal system. For in person hearings, you have to look professional and act professional. Remote proceedings are great, but it creates another level where you have to create a professional looking remote hearing location. Not everyone can do that, or do it to the same level. And some attorneys can hire professional techs to set video conference spaces in their homes.
      That’s all a long way of saying I think you are doing great. You are making an effort. Which I fortunately, a lot of folks aren’t even doing that level. One day this will all be routine. But it’s just one more thing that is hard about this pandemic.

9. Long shot but a friend needs a family law attorney in Taos NM. Any recommendations? The internet isn’t helpful. Ideally not too expensive.

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