Recently, I attended two pre-trial conferences in geographically separate courts. I love pre-trials. They offer an opportunity for opponents to sling inadmissible mud at each other in the presence of the court with impunity. The events are always noteworthy, as they take place out of earshot of a stenographer, and are therefore juicier than the usual arid proceedings.
At the first of these pre-trials, there was an added enticement: a large bowl of candy, seated temptingly between the opponents on the table in chambers. The case involved an attorney I had faced before. He required placation with doughnuts, and a three-hour face-to-face conference to resolve objections to discovery in that case. But I digress.
