Well, I did it!

So, at the staff-meeting on Tuesday, I was actually able to explain a little bit on how to do competency cases. I made hand-outs of FAQ's and didn't even get corrected too much. My main concern was that the more experienced attorneys in our office from other jurisdictions would interrupt frequently and correct me with incorrect information. Fortunately, this did not happen as often as I feared it would, and when it did, I was able to cite current law about why I was right and they were not. The best part was that I was able to do this in an appropriately respectful manner, so that they did not think I was just being uppity. All in all, it went much better than I feared.

Another good thing occurred when one of our newbie attorneys got her first competency case and made contact with the client's caseworker. The caseworker, it turns out, is involved with the beginnings of a state-wide coalition of various court, law enforcement, and mental health agencies to try to find a solution to this problem of the mentally ill who are indigent and keep ending up in the court system. The newbie gave my name to the guy and I am hoping to be able to get involved in trying to address some of these issues. You know, I do like helping my clients. But, it is good to sometimes be more involved in the "big picture" when one has the opportunity.

Now, I am going to leave work behind and watch the rest of Game 4 of the World Series! (My word, it looks like the Tigers are ahead 3-1 at the end of the 3rd inning!)