(Photo
by
Justin
Sullivan/Getty
Images)
I
am
old
enough
(no
snarky
comments,
please)
to
remember
all
the
various
kinds
of
disaster
movies
Hollywood
loved
to
produce
in
the
1970s.
I
am
not
going
to
discuss
the
Los
Angeles
County
wildfires,
except
to
remark
that
Hollywood
didn’t
make
these
up.
You
have
all
seen
photos
and
watched
the
reports
on
“linear”
television
or
various
social
media
outlets.
Who
said
“a
picture
is
worth
a
thousand
words”?
Just
as
in
any
other
natural
disaster,
we
are
all
touched
by
it,
even
if
we
don’t
suffer
a
personal
loss.
Colleagues,
friends,
family,
relatives.
Just
like
what
has
happened
in
other
parts
of
the
country
during
disasters,
we
are
numb
and
in
shock.
Familiar
places
gone.
Homes
gone.
Places
of
worship
rubble.
Businesses
gone.
Life
as
it
has
been
for
many
will
never
be
the
same.
To
all
of
you
who
have
texted,
emailed,
called,
or
donated
to
various
agencies
helping
those
displaced
and
dispossessed,
thank
you.
You
know
who
you
are.
But
to
those
who
have
flooded
social
media
with
nasty,
mean-spirited,
disparaging
comments
—
and
you
know
who
you
are
—
shame
on
you.
The
court
system
here
has
not
emerged
unscathed.
At
least
one
dozen
state
judicial
officers
and
a
similar
number
of
court
staff
have
lost
homes.
For
the
federal
district
court,
the
number
is
smaller,
but
no
less
distressing.
Patricia
Guerrero,
chief
justice
of
the
California
Supreme
Court,
has
advised
that
it
would
be
a
violation
of
the
Code
of
Judicial
Ethics
(Canon
4(d)
6)
for
any
judicial
officer
to
accept
any
gift,
even
in
these
times.
Thus,
fire
aid
is
limited
under
ethical
rules.
However,
Guerrero
said
that
the
court
is
considering
how
to
help
those
affected,
including
by
financial
assistance.
Each
situation
is
different
so
it
remains
to
be
seen
what
the
court
decides
to
do,
if
anything.
The
California
Constitution
prohibits
any
gift
of
public
funds.
The
Los
Angeles
County
Superior
Court
is
the
largest
trial
court
in
the
country.
It
stretches
from
Lancaster
in
the
high
desert
(approximately
70
miles
from
Downtown
LA)
to
Long
Beach
alongside
the
Pacific.
The
fires
broke
out
in
two
different
parts
of
the
county.
During
the
fires,
courts
were
open,
but
there
were
concerns
as
to
whether
some
of
the
courts
(in
smoke-filled
areas)
should
have
been
closed.
For
those
who
needed
to
appear
in
court
for
whatever
reason,
the
court’s
stern
handling
did
not
create
any
favorable
impressions.
Evacuation
orders
and
warnings
were
sent
to
cellphones,
but
for
those
sitting
on
a
jury,
the
court
did
not
permit
cellphones
to
be
on.
That
presented
a
problem
for
those
who
didn’t
know
whether
there
were
evacuation
orders
or
warnings
to
be
followed
in
their
areas.
How
can
you
concentrate
on
the
trial
at
hand
when
you
don’t
know
whether
you
would
have
a
home
to
go
home
to?
How
do
you
prepare
for
a
possible
evacuation
if
you
don’t
know?
You
tell
me.
Is
this
a
case
of
damned
if
you
do,
damned
if
you
don’t?
This
is
not
the
first
time
the
LA
Superior
Court
has
taken
flak
for
its
decisions
during
crises.
The
court
took
it
on
the
chin
during
Covid-19
for
multiple
health
and
safety
violations.
The
fires
are
pretty
much
contained,
but
not
controlled.
Lawsuits
have
already
been
filed,
with
many
more
surely
to
come.
There
will
be
enough
blame
to
go
around.
Full
employment
for
many
lawyers
for
years.
The
wildfires
are
already
yesterday’s
news,
just
like
hurricanes
Helene,
Milton,
and
all
the
other
weather
events
that
have
happened
in
recent
memory.
Just
like
a
judge
who
tells
counsel
not
to
belabor
a
point
and
move
on,
we
keep
going.
And
moving
on,
when
the
Elias
Law
Group
told
its
associates
to
sign
a
mandatory
arbitration
agreement,
there
was,
not
surprisingly,
pushback.
Three
lawyers
have
already
voluntarily
boogied
and
the
fourth
was
forced
out
after
refusing
to
sign
the
agreement.
The
firm
has
said
that
it
wishes
the
departing
“the
best
of
luck
in
their
future
endeavors.”
Does
anyone
else
think
that
the
phrase
is
code
for
“don’t
let
the
door
hit
you
on
the
way
out”?
2025
is
well
underway.
As
the
racetrack
announcer
says,
“and
they’re
off.”
So
are
we.
For
counsel
who
have
cases
with
attorneys
in
LA
County,
especially
those
who
have
lost
homes
or
businesses,
please
cut
them
some
slack.
Show
some
professional
courtesy.
Everyone
here
has
been
affected
by
what
has
happened.
But
it’s
not
just
the
physical
losses,
it’s
the
mental
health
challenges
too.
And
we
all
know
or
should
know
about
mental
health
issues
in
our
profession.
Don’t
make
them
worse
by
being
an
unyielding
putz.
Jill
Switzer
has
been
an
active
member
of
the
State
Bar
of
California
for
over
40
years.
She
remembers
practicing
law
in
a
kinder,
gentler
time.
She’s
had
a
diverse
legal
career,
including
stints
as
a
deputy
district
attorney,
a
solo
practice,
and
several
senior
in-house
gigs.
She
now
mediates
full-time,
which
gives
her
the
opportunity
to
see
dinosaurs,
millennials,
and
those
in-between
interact
—
it’s
not
always
civil.
You
can
reach
her
by
email
at
[email protected].