Posts tagged lawyer convention
A lesson not taught well enough
A lesson not taught well enough

Am late. The room is filled with female trial attorneys.  We call ourselves WOW (Women of WSAJ).  Am here to show moral support.   Move to the rear of the room, grabbing a cluster of red grapes along the way.  Take off puffy coat.  Stand and listen.

About ten minutes later my phone rings.  Go to silence it but see it is Cristina.  Are you still in a meeting she says. I whisper yes.  She promises to call later.  Put it on silence.  Another ten minutes pass.  I see someone on the other side of the glass door.  Break into huge smile.  It is Cristina.  She's surprised me by coming home from college (spring break) a day early.

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Karen Koehlerwsaj, lawyer convention, women
AAJ Brain Injury Seminar - The seminar
AAJ Brain Injury Seminar - The seminar

Last time I look at the clock before sleeping, it’s 3:30 am.  That’s actually midnight-ish Seattle time and makes sense.  Best way to avoid jet lag is simply to ignore the clock as much as possible until get home.  Second best way is to mentally minus 3 hours for the next 2 days.  Except for getting up.  Have to get up in time to give speech.  Set wake up for 8:00 am which is 5:00 but who’s keeping track.

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Karen Koehleraaj, lawyer convention
Aqua blue
Aqua blue

Right through the side door, left at the street and another quick left on the outside of the hotel property line.  That way I don't have to run through the pool sunbathers.  Turn right and run along the boardwalk hugging the side that is sometimes covered in shade.  There's not much of a wind and it is mid afternoon.

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Karen Koehleraaj, lawyer convention, traveling lawyer
The beach
The beach

I have an hour between meetings.  Rush up to 11th floor.  Toss on red bikini and gold flip flops (hey it’s Miami).  Throw on shorts and black flowy t-shirt thing.  Ipod.  Kindle.  AAJ logo beach bag with computer.  Hat.  Sunglasses.  Rush back down.  Walk under gorgeous canopy of palm trees leading to the pool.  Grab towel.  Traverse crowd on loungers surrounding pool.  Keep walking out through little gate.  Skim across promenade.  Ahhh.  Toes hit fine white warm sand.

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Karen Koehleraaj, lawyer convention, traveling lawyer, women
Time to play hooky with Edouard Duval-Carrie
Time to play hooky with Edouard Duval-Carrie

We really should be going to a political luncheon.  One of the high points of AAJ conventions are the big wigs who come to speak.  Sometimes they are phenomenal.  A couple years ago we had  Hilary Clinton, Barak Obama, Joe Biden and Bill Richardson one after the other.   But today, we walk out into the sunshine, grab a cab and head towards the Haiti district.  It is a bit out of the way and our cabbie offers to come back to get us.

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Karen Koehleraaj, inspiration, lawyer convention, lawyers have fun
Convention day 2 - the seminar
Convention day 2 - the seminar

Start off with a seminar.  I want to be inspired, energized, taught something.  The speaker is an excellent speaker.  But his presentation is too basic.  It is also too rigorously detail oriented in a way that would never work for me.  Fortunately I have my laptop.

The great thing about having a laptop in a seminar is it doesn’t look disrespectful to the speaker.  They only see the back of a computer.  And can assume that we are listening intently and taking notes.

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Karen Koehleraaj, lawyer convention, lawyer seminar, traveling lawyer
AAJ Midwinter convention day 1
AAJ Midwinter convention day 1

I’m sitting on the 3rd floor balcony of Loews Hotel on South Beach.  Aviator sunglasses, white rolled up jeans, black flat gladiator sandals, a black tied around the neck blousy shirt with little rosettes.    My hair which can behave so badly in Seattle, is soft and poofy and blowing in the strong warm breeze.  You’d probably think I was on vacation except I have a computer on my lap.

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Karen Koehleraaj, lawyer convention, traveling lawyer
New York day 1 - AAJ
New York day 1 - AAJ

I’ve agreed to speak for AAJ in New York.  But it is our firm party the night before.

Both our Hoquiam and Seattle offices are together.  We are on the Top of the WAC.  P.A.R.T.Y!    The Pauls are in their Santa Hats.  Everyone is dressed beautifully with sparkles galore.  We finish dinner and are about to begin the gift exchange.  I lean over to Ed and ask him what time it is.  7:40.  Great.  I have twenty minutes before I need to leave.  The volume is growing.  Numbers are called, people get their gifts but can’t unwrap them.  Then they steal other people’s gifts.  But only two steals for any one gift.  These are Hoquiam’s rules. 

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Karen Koehleraaj, lawyer schedule, lawyer convention, traveling lawyer
WSAJ Convention day 4 bye bye

Yawwwwwwwwn.    As I'm getting ready to fly out the door I notice a not-too-terrible scratch on the front of my right leg surrounded by the beginnings of a puffy bruise.   Thinking back I realize it's from when I hit the corner of the DJ platform last night when Gerhard and I were jumping up and down (to the beat) during a Black Eyed Peas song.

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Karen Koehlerlawyer convention
WSAJ Convention day 3 continued
WSAJ Convention day 3 continued

It is high noon and I squeeze in a run before hanging out with Cristina at the pool.   With AAJ convention having occurred last month, here is what I notice.  When my kids don't come with me, I socialize much more in between all the events.  When they attend, I am conscious about needing to spend as much time as possible with them.   I never achieve a perfect balance with work and family.   I'm constantly saying to my kids - what do you want to do today.  This is code for - how am I going to fit in everything that needs to be fit in today.

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Karen Koehlerlawyer convention, lawyers have fun
WSAJ Convention day 3 good morning

I sleep in, look at my phone and there's an emergency message from Tasha (WSAJ staff).  Today's speaker, Lisa Blue, is leaving at 10:30 instead of 1:00.  Get up, eat oatmeal, have Cristina drop me off at The Homestead.  Clare (WSAJ CLE) fills me in.  Bob Dawson and Greg Price are pulling together a speaker lineup of WA and OR lawyers who will do 10 minute smorgasbord style presentations.  So the emergency is handled.

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Karen Koehlergreat people, women, lawyer convention
WSAJ Convention day 2
WSAJ Convention day 2

I have so many credits stored up I don't ever Need to attend a CLE.  Where did this bad attitude of mine come from.  I've never really liked lectures.  I can remember correcting the grammar of my high school English teacher one too many times and being sent out for alternative "advanced" tutoring for the rest of the school year. 

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Karen Koehlerlawyer convention, legal profession
AAJ Convention Morning 5 Neck and neck
AAJ Convention Morning 5 Neck and neck

The convention comes to a climax this morning. It is election time. Contested election time. You can feel the sense of expectation. There is a bit of pomp and circumstance. As casual as I can be, I also like to go through rituals. They remind you that there have been those before and there will be those after. The ballots are cast and counted. And for the first time in the history of the organization, a woman has won a contested election. The underhorse has pulled an upset.

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Karen Koehleraaj, women, lawyer convention
AAJ Convention Night 4 Up the Down Elevator

I'm late. I toss on some white jeans, go down the elevator and run across the street to the other hotel. The first reception is for Mary Alice's campaign. It looks like a party planner did it. There are big vases filled with blue, white and green M&Ms in honor of her official colors. You'll be proud to know that I resist the urge to grab a handful. Ah, the temptations. It is bright, airy, filled with food and laughing people. A friend and I decide to go check out the competition's campaign party. It is across the street.

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Karen Koehleraaj, lawyers have fun, lawyer convention
AAJ Convention Day 4 The non-group and my bad temper

A couple days ago if you asked me how I felt about AAJ, it wouldn't have been pretty. I was boiling hot angry ticked off mad. Nothing that a two hour run (have you ever noticed that being upset makes for good exercise) wouldn't cure though. The SLGCC (don't ask me what it stands for) is a group that you need to pass by in order to start a litigation group. I felt there should be a spinal cord injury litigation group. They weren't so sure. In fact they were pretty sure not. They tabled the application. I am a poor loser (another personality flaw I do admit). Hence my fury.

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Karen Koehlerspinal cord injury, aaj, lawyer convention
AAJ Convention Day 3 Four inch heels

My sister has given me a deliciously beautiful pair of shoes that are too big for her. They are gray and sparkly - totally not "business attire" - and therefore entirely appropriate for me to wear today. Problem is, the left shoe is too big for me too! So I'm walking around the vast convention center, heel flapping, trying to look totally cool. The biggest initial problem this causes is that I can't hustle from room to room fast enough to watch the overlapping programs that I'm interested in. I make up for it by saying hi to everyone I pass which hopefully keeps them looking at my smile and not my flapping footwear.

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Karen Koehlerlawyer style, aaj, lawyer convention, traveling lawyer