My firm is in the middle of a big trial.  And I had forgotten just how exhausting that sort of thing can be.  I have been out of the litigation business for more than a few years and I was younger the last time I did this.

It is a three day trial and it took three of us and a hand cart to take all the documents to the Courthouse.  Our office is only a block away so there was no need for a car.  You can’t park much closer than that anyway.  And to make matters worse, the elevator is broken so we climbed the stairs.

Being the Legal Assistant, I don’t stick around for the bones of the matter but I am on call and worked many hours in advance getting exhibits ready and in nice neat notebooks so everyone had a copy.  My boss and the law clerk worked many more hours than I did.  Then at the last minute the order of the exhibits was changed and we took them all apart.  I still don’t know why.

I made countless trips up and down the block between our building and the Courthouse and ran around last week making sure my phone was in my pocket in case someone needed any thing.  I delivered lunch to the courthouse and afterwards it was mentioned by the court reporter that the courtroom smelled like burgers.  That happens when you eat on the fly.  I didn’t get lunch myself, but decided I would order an extra one next time.

We still have two days to go.  I will go in early, stay late and eat at my desk if I get to eat at all.  Not that missing a few meals would be a bad thing for me.  There are still a multitude of things to do back at the office while the trial itself is going on.  I spent a week at the Courtroom table with the attorney once when I was young and it was interesting, but grueling.   These days I tire more quickly than I used to, but the law has always been fascinating to me.

No matter which side you are on, a trial is a lot of leg work.  But, tired or not, I am still interested in the business and I guess I still like being a part of the system.  Wish us luck this week.