Just for Fun Archives | Lawyer-Coach

2 09, 2014

Humorous Client Misconceptions

2024-11-03T00:38:33+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Humorous Client Misconceptions

Judge throws up his hands in confusion over plaintiff's request Clients get confused sometimes and we are all aware of how that can lead to misunderstandings. However, many of their misconceptions are quite humorous and I have compiled several of these for today’s post. Hopefully this will offer you a little break from your daily grind while you read some of their “ideas” about their cases. If you are a new lawyer, perhaps this information can help you head off some misunderstandings in the future.

First, some misconceptions about domestic relations matters:

1. I don’t need to negotiate with my spouse. The Domestic Relations Court will resolve my case and my problems.

2. Joint custody or shared parenting automatically means we will split time with the children on a 50/50 basis.

3. Since the divorce wasn’t my idea, I shouldn’t have to endure changes to my lifestyle, like selling the house, getting a job or experiencing a lower standard of living. […]

11 01, 2012

Texas Hoof-in-Mouth Disease

2019-03-19T23:15:19+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Texas Hoof-in-Mouth Disease

I have long suffered from Texas Hoof-in-Mouth Disease. Susceptibility to the illness is a genetic trait passed down from generation to generation in my family. Some people may confuse our illness with the cattle disease, but I am speaking of a more virulent strain of the common foot-in-mouth disease.

Texas Hoof-in-Mouth Disease has caused me such pain and embarrassment in the United States that I simply will not describe all of its horrors. However, I don’t mind giving you an example of its tragic effect on another family member.

My mother’s manifestation of the disease sometimes resembles the symptoms of Turret’s Syndrome, causing words to come flying out of her mouth before she has a chance to consider them. For example, once when she looked at the protruding belly of a woman at church, the disease caused the words “I thought you had that baby already!” to leap out of her mouth. Just before walking off, the woman responded, “I did.” […]

7 10, 2008

Store Humor and Gratitude in Your Disaster Recovery Kit

2019-02-10T23:15:56+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Store Humor and Gratitude in Your Disaster Recovery Kit

Hurricanes, tornados, mudslides, firestorms, floods, ice storms, blizzards, riots – there are many different kinds of disasters that can affect a law firm. Savvy lawyers create a disaster preparedness plan before trouble strikes, and then do their best to cope with the ultimate results. There are two things you might not think to include in your disaster survival kit, however – humor and gratitude.

Gratitude as a Survival Tool

I began writing this during the 12th day without electricity following Hurricane Ike, which knocked out electric service to 90% of Houston. Even though personally I was fortunate to sustain only a minimum of damage, trying to live and conduct business without electricity (and therefore air conditioning, refrigeration, lights, microwaves, stoves, computers, Internet, email and sometimes telephones) creates challenges that fray the nerves. When I found myself feeling irritable, I knew that I was starting to engage in a futile internal battle with “what is.” That’s when turning to gratitude saved the day for me.

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10 11, 2007

Joys of Lingering in France

2007-11-10T20:51:59+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Joys of Lingering in France

When daydreaming of France, people may think of the stars and glitter of the Cannes Film Festival, the haute couture of Parisian designers, famous architectural innovations and landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the perfectly executed haute cuisine of expensive French restaurants, the centuries of cultural history on display at the Louvre, the opulence of Versailles, or the blasÃ nudity on the beaches of the French Riviera. Many such attractions draw millions to visit France every year.

I like those things, but what makes France a joy for me are the smaller things that I encounter in daily living here. I like turning on to my street, cresting a hill, and suddenly confronting a stunning view of the valley dotted with pink, coral and white houses with tile roofs, followed by more mountains and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance.

I like the delight of savoring truly fresh bread that I pick up every day at one of the five bakeries within a mile of our house. If my teenage son is with me, I order extra. He devours most of a baguette, breaking it off in warm chunks, in the five minutes before we get home. Baguettes are the 18-inch long tube-shaped rolls that Americans call AFrench bread, despite the fact that there are so many different types of fresh bread in France. We have all wondered out loud how we will survive without fresh bread every day when we get back to Houston. How can we go back to the tasteless, uniform, pre-sliced stuff in a plastic bag?

I like the numerous sidewalk cafes and the way people linger about in coffee shops and cafes. I bask in the sunshine and sip something while watching the world drift by, whether in July or November. I have never felt rushed by a waiter, even if I finished eating half an hour […]

16 06, 2007

Dining Out in France: Go with the Flow

2007-06-16T19:03:48+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Dining Out in France: Go with the Flow

It seems that a number of clients and readers like reading about my adventures in France. Over 8 years ago I took a sabbatical from practicing law from which I never actually returned. I segued into becoming a coach for lawyers, eventually. During that sabbatical in France I did some travel writing. The following article appeared in the Orlando Sentinel in 1999.

Successful dining in France requires one of two personal qualifications: (a) extensive training in French linguistics, etiquette and cuisine, or (b) a devil-may-care attitude. In my case, hunger and impatience mandate the latter. Forget etiquette. I cannot comply with the only rule I have learned. Here in France it is impolite to place your hand in your lap while dining. My mother would tell you I never did that anyway, but my hyper-conscious teenager has been repeatedly mortified by my infractions of this rule. Evidently the nudity on French beaches, billboards and television commercials subconsciously affects the French as much as the Americans, because the French wonder what you are doing with your hand if it is under the table.

All menus contain a number of indiscernible choices, even if I can literally understand the words (which I often can’t). A dictionary does not help. What kind of lunch item is a ”crunchy mister” or a “crunchy madam?” Or a “hot goat?” The answers: a croque monsieur is sort of a toasted ham sandwich with cheese melted on top, which populates every brasserie menu. A croque madame is more of the same, with a runny fried egg on top of the cheese. The French don’t eat fried eggs for breakfast. They prefer them on top of their pizza…or sandwich…or salad. Salads abound as a main course during the day. Chevre chaud (hot goat) is actually a green salad served with goat cheese slightly melted over small pieces of […]

25 11, 2006

Arrival in Paris

2006-11-25T16:18:39+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|1 Comment

The following article continues the saga of my Leap of Faith, which turned out to be my journey from lawyer to coach. This article was originally published in the Orlando Sentinel in 1999.

Arrival in Paris

A year in France sounded like a reasonable antidote for the forty-something mid-life crises of a couple from Houston. Because Jim and I had minimal travel experience in France and minimal French language skills, we made a trial move to Paris for one month. It started out well. When we landed at the airport, we breezed through customs and immigration so easily that we did not recognize the process had occurred until we found ourselves at the street exit.

Then, unlike in New York, our cab driver spoke a little English. He took us straight to the furnished apartment we had rented for about $1800 a month, despite the fact that we could hardly pronounce the name of the small street, and could only tell him that it was in the 17^th Arrondissement. Already life was so different from home.

We found our small one-bedroom apartment nicely decorated, and it even resembled its picture on the Internet. The kitchen and the bathroom were so tiny that they were cute. (We knew from talking to seasoned travelers and researching floor plans on the Internet, that apartments in Paris were small.) In France most major kitchen appliances are in miniature. Our dishwasher barely accommodated breakfast and lunch dishes. We had to stoop to peer into the refrigerator. We had an understanding that he who cooks doesn’t clean up, because there really wasn’t room for two people in the kitchen at the same time. We just bumped into each other a lot.

The bathroom had barely enough room for both me and my reflection in the mirror. […]

25 11, 2006

A Little Thanksgiving Montage

2006-11-25T03:18:30+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on A Little Thanksgiving Montage

On the day after Thanksgiving and I realized that I had the capability to make a little video montage of a few photos from Thanksgiving, complete with music, using software that comes with Windows XP. It was wonderful to have time to do something just because it was creative and fun.

The legal field is so left brain intensive. It is important to engage in right brain activity to help keep the communication flowing between the hemispheres, and to strengthen the right brain neural pathways. We need those right brain pathways for a lot of purposes, including when it’s time to do some “out of the box” problem solving.

If you want to view my little 2 minute Thanksgiving montage, click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUlNHHf5O4Y.

Hoping you are enjoying the holiday!
-Debra

1 01, 2002

Leap of Faith

2002-01-01T11:17:25+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|1 Comment

A forty-something mid-life crisis tightened its long fingers around my neck, slowly suffocating me. I had practiced law for 18 years in big firms, small firms, on my own, changing the configuration every few years. My life had the outer hallmarks of success. I liked my clients personally, and they gave me good work and paid their bills promptly. I was my own boss in a reasonably secure position. I cherished my beautiful new home designed to my specifications. My teenage son, Brandon, was smart, handsome and happy. I had a relationship with Jim, a loving and considerate partner who would talk through conflicts with me.

Yet, discontent haunted me and sucked the energy out of me. Sometimes I felt guilty for not appreciating my good fortune. Often I felt crazy, because I didn’t know what I wanted to do instead. What was I even qualified for? Would I have to go back to school again? I had tried to find a new career for years. I was afraid to let go of what I had in order to start something new. What if I couldn’t make a good living at it? Or worse, what if my new career also turned into “Just a Job”.
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1 06, 2001

Decision & Faith

2001-06-01T11:18:08+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|1 Comment

How Vision and Faith Orchestrated Events for a “Leap of Faith“

I enrolled in a French class. I examined my financial situation and determined that, if I leased my house for enough to cover the costs on it, I could manage for a year or so without working. I could just relax in France and see what answers would bubble up in that old eight-ball. I consulted Jim and Brandon. Brandon, who was just graduating middle school, salivated at the idea of living in France for a year. Jim was a at career crossroads himself, and declared his willingness to follow my lead. Now to my ex. After a few discussions, Bob generously put aside his desire to be with his son in order to give Brandon a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Nearly miraculous solutions materialized to solve the lingering problems. I leased my treasured house to people I knew and trusted. They just showed up at the door with a real estate agent, not previously knowing it was my house. Bob acquiesced to take possession of our elderly dog and the other dog broke out of the yard during a thunderstorm and made friends with strangers who wanted to keep her. Using the nacent Internet, we finally found a suitable temporary apartment in Paris. As each hurdle fell away I felt reassured, and I faintly recognized the work of some other hand in this process.
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