The contempt matter ahead should take ten minutes. It’s been forty-five.
Senior lawyers on either side are doing their thing. How they love the sound of their voices. The judge gives them a week to file submissions. They continue the banter beyond the brief.
One senior is now telling a story about a case from 1997. The other senior laughs. The judge laughs. The court is their living room. How she wishes it was hers too.
She’s standing at the back, laptop sleeve cutting into her elbow. Been up since 5 AM. Slept at 3. Missed her morning run. The brief is perfect – twenty-three case laws, each one directly on point.
Index of authorities ready. The three perfect judgments. She knows they don’t have the luxury of time or patience for all twenty-three. Propositions table typed out. Relevant extracts. For ease of reference.
A senior briefly reviewed it last night and said, “This is good work. Go conquer!”
Ready to conquer. Or at least get by.
