Blog Posts


Hey, Brother, Can You Spare $1,700?

Questions remain about the relationship between the Trial Lawyers College and the Spence Foundation. But that doesn't stop the fund-raising beat from tapping out a steady rhythm. Although the master, Gerry Spence, is retiring from the fray, he's still the college's most potent draw, and its most...

Dick's Wife Joins Fray

How desperate is Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in his race for the Senate? Yesterday, he unveiled his wife, Cynthia, who wrote an email to supporters asking for money.
Waint a minute! She's got a million dollar in her checking account according to financial disclosure forms. The family is...

Try Three Sisters, There's Less Dead Wood There

An email arrived this evening from a relatively new lawyer. The question was simple. Where can a new lawyer go for instruction, guidance and the succor of those with like minds? The lawyer wants help finding bright stars in the law's dark nights. He asked whether I would recommend attending the...

Dickie's Apology Just Doesn't Work

I am trying hard to like Richard Blumenthal. I really am. Over the weekend I called for an end to Dickiegate, trying to resign myself to the fact that this would-be Senator is a liar. I stumbled under the influence of some inchoate syllogism that went something like this:
Dick Blumenthal is a...

Flat Fees, Black Holes, And The Value Of Chaos

I've begun to wonder whether flat fees for legal services ought to be prohibited. Charging them leads to an almost inevitable conflict between lawyer and client. Perhaps lawyers should be required to charge hourly fees for their services.
Here's the issue in a nutshell: Once you've practice for...

Reform Conference Set For June In DC

Reform of sex offender laws in each state and at the national level will only take place if those harmed by these laws speak up. Yet the sense of shame associated with the mere allegation of sexual misconduct drives many people underground. Chances to network and to learn from others are few and...

Are We All Natural Born Killers?

After a week filled with an unusual amount of chaos, I was drawn, naturally, to another viewing of Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers for relaxation last night. Perhaps someone out there can help me understand the film. I am not sure I get it.
I could watch Woody Harrelson cite check a legal...

Enough Dickiegate Already

It's time to put Dickiegate behind us. Richard Blumenthal is a politician. Period. Did we expect virtue? Did we expect him to be any different than all the other members of the political class who subscribe to the credo that spin is everything? Did we expect this Dick to be any different than all...

Is Jack Weinstein Running For Congress?

This past week, an interest group made an assertion I find impossible to believe: Three quarters of those accused of possessing child pornography have actually abused children. Almost every single one of the men I have represented in criminal cases arising from the possession of such images is...

We Need A Few More Jack Weinsteins

This past week, an interest group made an assertion I find impossible to believe: Three quarters of those accused of possessing child pornography have actually abused children. Almost every single one of the men I have represented in criminal cases arising from the possession of such images is...

© Norm Pattis is represented by Elite Lawyer Management, managing agents for Exceptional American Lawyers
Media & Speaker booking [hidden email]