Those who represent ordinary people understand that faith is important to our concept of justice. Many of our modern civil justice principles emanated from narratives told in a religious or philosophical context thousands of years ago. An old Latin proverb, Justitiae soror fides, teaches that "Faith is the sister of Justice." The Pali Canon, sacred scriptures to Theravada Buddhists,...
In legal terms, “emotional distress” or “mental anguish” has four identifiable aspects for a jury to consider: 1. grief and sorrow 2. worry, anxiety, and fear 3. loss of enjoyment of life 4. loss of self-identify or an inability to obtain self-satisfaction Many people, many jurors in fact, will ask rhetorically: Are these really damages we should compensate for in a personal injury case? This same juror...
The first time I stood in front of a jury, in a large superior courtroom in Spokane County, I was a younger lawyer with more energy than eloquence, more ambition than experience. I'll never forget the feeling as if my legs might give out and collapse as easily as the accordion files in my briefcase. My mouth...
It has been a long 2020 we have been through with the coronavirus. Lost loved ones. Business closures. School shutdowns. Kid's sports cancelled. Graduation and wedding celebrations postponed. No one has been unaffected. It’s been a difficult and exhausting year for everyone. It has long been said that times of crisis bring us closer together. But everywhere you...
