Chief
Judge
R.
David
Proctor
of
the
Northern
District
of
Alabama,
go
ahead
and
take
your
victory
lap.
Frustrated
by
counsel’s
level
of
pettiness,
the
judge
ordered
the
lawyers
to
have
lunch
together
to
talk
about
how
they
were
going
to
behave
better
going
forward.
Plaintiff
counsel
would
cover
the
check,
defense
counsel
would
kick
in
the
tip,
and
they
would
jointly
report
back
to
the
court.
And
it
seems
as
though
it
worked
out:
On
December
16,
2024,
undersigned
counsel
met
for
lunch
at
Saw’s
BBQ
in
Hoover,
Alabama,
for
over
an
hour.
The
discussion
covered
the
practice
of
law,
families,
some
big-ticket
items
for
the
2024
holiday
season,
everyone’s
small
town
bona
fides,
and
the
plan
for
communication
going
forward
in
this
matter.
A
healthy
dialogue
regarding
professional
norms
ensued.
Honestly,
the
family
and
holiday
talk
feels
more
encouraging
than
the
professional
norms
conversation.
It’s
a
lot
harder
to
file
a
motion
to
strike
over
one
side
filing
15
minutes
late
—
the
precipitating
issue
in
this
case
—
when
you
care
about
what
they’re
getting
Johnny
for
Christmas.
Which,
to
the
judge’s
credit,
is
probably
why
they
were
ordered
to
have
lunch
as
opposed
to
a
meet
and
confer
to
discuss
norms
in
a
conference
room.
As
for
the
risk
of
shenanigans
when
the
bill
came
due…
Plaintiff’s
counsel
paid
the
$74.00
bill,
and
Defendants’
counsel
left
a
$74.00
tip.
So
they
made
it
a
very
happy
holiday
for
their
server
too.
Earlier:
Judge
Orders
Lawyers
To
Have
Lunch
To
Think
About
What
They
Did
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