The Tale of a Bad Case

This week I had a friend ask me to write about my worst legal experience. I immediately said NO. There have been a lot of gut-wrenching, nightmare making, soul searching cases that I choose not to relive. The more I thought about this; I did recall one I don’t mind sharing. I had been a […]

Why It’s Okay to Talk About Suicide and Mental Health

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.  Four years ago, I lost a close friend and colleague to suicide. I recently received an early opportunity to view The S Word, a movie I supported on Kickstarter. https://theswordmovie.com/ My friend’s name is listed at the end, on the Wall of Remembrance. The S Word is a powerful movie. […]

WWBD- What Would Batman Do?

Do you remember when you were little and people would ask “What do you want to be when you grow up?” When I was 5 years old someone asked me that question and there was only one answer. BATMAN. Watching cartoons, I’d learned about Batman. He’s the secret identity of Bruce Wayne, an American billionaire who witnessed the […]

BLOGGING FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION: ONE YEAR LATER

Have you lost someone to suicide? If you have, this blog post explores feelings about loss and how to move forward for those of us who are left. One year ago today I got a phone call no one should ever receive. I’d lost a close friend to suicide. I assisted her family by taking […]

Cabin in the Woods 2015

Once upon a time there was a cabin built on a pine tree-dotted mountain in Northeastern Arizona. At first, it was a simple A-frame used as a summer home, a respite from the heat of a California desert residence. When my parents retired there, some rooms were added, one filled with windows to let in […]

My Lessons about Suicide Survival and Support

Have you lost a friend to suicide? If so, does the question What can I do to stop this from happening? keep repeating in your mind? Below are some lessons I’ve learned after losing a friend. Suicide rates have risen in the U.S. and make it the 10th leading cause of death. In the news  recently was […]

Blogging for Suicide Prevention:Ode to a Friend

Four days ago I answered my phone and was greeted by the sound of weeping. The call was to notify me a friend and attorney colleague had died by suicide, and I was being contacted because she’d left a note for me to take over her cases. I’ve never lost anyone to suicide. Death isn’t […]

Adventures In Restraining Order Land

Recently I decided to go to court to watch civil harassment restraining order hearings before a judge I hadn’t appeared before. I have a case in front of him soon and wanted to see if his judicial temperament was  reasoned jurist or screaming maniacal behemoth. A civil harassment order is something you obtain when someone […]

A Fish Story

  I grew up in the Imperial Valley, California. A wide bowl of desert dotted with fields of crops fed by an extensive irrigation system of canals. In elementary school, we had a “Dippy Duck: Don’t Swim In Canals” program because the water looked placid on top but had strong undercurrents. When I was around […]