Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 16, 2009
View from the Cheap Seats
Docket call
Bill James
Very recently, a renown Arkansas attorney passed away. In his day, he was “The Man.” From all accounts, he had it all. As is the case with many success stories, the notoriety of this attorney’s success can be argued as the catalyst for his ultimate fall from the threshold.
Success breeds jealousy. Success, by nature, also causes hard feelings when the success of one seems to come at the expense of another. According to history and the stories I have been told, the great success of this litigator caused hard feelings among some of those he opposed in the power structure; and therefore made him an acceptable target when the opportunity presented itself.
In what became the centerpiece of the great Arkansas Newspaper Wars of the early ‘80s, this great litigator experienced the highs and lows of a ride on a roller coaster, only to be left at the bottom with a half-hearted clearing of his name and much of what was left of his stellar reputation was tarnished.
I did not meet this man until the mid ‘90s and only had a handful of meaningful conversations with him over the years. While I recall him always answering a new attorney’s questions and being friendly, I never really got to know the man. There was a sadness that seemed to travel with him that made him somewhat unapproachable. Sometimes it easier not to talk to someone when you don’t know what to say.
When someone leaves us, there is always regret of those things we didn’t say. I may regret not asking him more about his life and getting to know him better, but I am not sure. Did he really want me delving into what are without question, hard times that may be better forgotten? Probably not.
On the other hand, there is no question he had knowledge that would have benefitted me in the practice of law and the living of life. We all have lessons we can give to others based on our experiences, even if we ourselves do not follow the rules we have learned.
His death has made me consider at length how we sometimes let events shape the way we exist.
In reality, there is no way to separate your life from the events that have shaped it. On the other hand, must we let events (good or bad) define who we are? When these life-changing events occur, there is little we can do but to move on the best way we can under the circumstances. It is natural to see others only through the events of that particular persons’s life and never get to know the person. After all, we can’t know everyone.
In the end, the stories in the paper covering his death were more of the same. His life was defined by events beyond his control. The desires of others, political and otherwise, had their way with him and stunted what was still, in the end, a great career. A career he spent defending his fellow citizens against charges made against him by those in the government. For in the end, few people know more about how it feels to be wrongly accused that this great litigator.
In the months preceding his death, I had several conversations with other attorneys asking about the whereabouts and the condition of Bill. I learned about his death one morning in the courthouse hallway, a hallway he had been in many times over the years. I spoke to a young attorney that had no idea who he was and told him the story. I, ultimately, fell prey to that which I speak of here. I defined his life, not by who he was, but primarily by the events he went through.
I am guessing it has been six months to a year since the last time he was in the courthouse. At least, that is how
long it had been since I saw him there. It is easy to forget how much I love going to the courthouse everyday. It is hard to think about a time that I will not go there on a regular basis. It is even harder to think about a time that people will forget I was ever in the courthouse. The time is coming. Nothing I can do about it.
That is important to remember, especially for those of us in the CHEAP SEATS.
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