Cycles for Divorce and Time to Pick up my Summer Reading Material...

Well it is almost the end of school and typically two things tend to happen around this time. First I either head over to Boarders and pick out a stack of books I intend to read for the summer, or I internet compare on Amazon and Half.com to bargain hunt for a stack of bestsellers to read.(which is what I did this year) Second I gear up my office for the inevitable surge in business over the next couple of weeks in the area of divorce. There are cycles to the divorce business you ask? Most certainly.

The three busiest periods are 1. The week or so after the first of the year. It seems that many people choose getting rid of their spouse as a New Years resolution. 2. The first week in September, coinciding with the return of Back to School, so goes the inclination to rid one of their spouse; and 3. The last week in June, coinciding with the end of school and beginning of summer. My brother who was in law enforcement for many years, would always tell me that the summertime was the busiest time for him in criminal law. It seems that the heat affects people in all sorts of ways. In his area, it made those so inclined to act in a criminally punishable manner. In my area, it makes a spouse more eager to rid themselves of their significant other.

So what am I reading this summer? I am an avid reader and always have been. I read year round and love to shop for books. When I was younger I would pick an author and spend the summer reading everything I could find by that author. Such is the reason I have some very strong opinions about F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway. I have abandoned that for years until this summer. In that I usually read the books of my favorite authors the minute they become available, I have already read the latest Gresham, Sparks and DeMille novels. James Patterson, I pick and choose but I already read all of his latest. I read a book for my book club called "my sisters keeper" by Julie Picoult. The book was so incredible I decided I wanted to read everything this author had to offer. So this summer is the Julie Picoult summer. I am eagerly awaiting my shipments as I try to plough through "A Million Little Pieces" which I truly hate and will give up again the minute a new book comes in. Some recommendations, Balducci's the Camel Club and Patterson's Beach Road were both excellent.

I have found that if I bring a book to court lately, my adversary tends to show up faster than if I fail to bring any reading material. Maybe it is now my latest superstition but it has become my new habit. Clients are perpetually complaining about their fees to attorneys, but what they don't understand is that diligent attorneys will usually show up as early as possible in order to get into a conference with a judge and get out. Unfortunately, many other attorneys do not share my view or fail to co-ordinate with me to arrive at a pre-arranged time (As I anal try to do the day in advance) but instead run from case to case in an attempt to catch any adversary for any of the cases they may have on ad hoc. A colleague of mine with whom I was passing the time and commiserating with one day as we both waited for our respective adversaries came up with the idea of pre-set appointments; Given in 15 minute intervals with sanctions if you arrive late. Not a bad idea. But thus enters the importance of summer reading material.