The respect of money

During the past month something quite remarkable happened.  It started off when I (along with my associate Mimy) secured a $2.5M verdict for a client injured by a truck driver.  A few weeks later, a long time and good friend, Vicky Vreeland, secured a $19M verdict in an insurance fraud and conspiracy case.  A week later, an even longer time and good friend, Lori Haskell, secured a $1.3M verdict in a slip and fall case against Metro.  One thing I rarely talk about is money.  But I am making an exception here because, three multi million dollar verdicts, obtained in the span of a month by  female lawyer friends, is phenomenal.  I'm hoping it represents a paradigm shift.

I have heard this phrase many times, always said with the utmost goodwill, sincerity and  belief that it was an outright compliment.  It goes like this:  You are one of the best women trial attorneys in the state.  My friends Lori, Vicky, and other sister lawyers, have been told the same thing.  Implicit in this compliment of course, is the supposition that women aren't quite as good as the men so it wouldn't be fair to hold us to the same standards.  And while we smile and say thank you, we all think the same thing:  we just want to be one of the best trial lawyers in the state.