One of the things I like about sitting as a neutral case evaluator in Wayne County, is that you see a lot of members of the Guild Many attorneys, even after retirement from their full time jobs, continue to sit as case evaluators. In fact, one day back in the Spring of 2019, I was sitting on one of 4 panels, each of which had a former AAA staff counsel serving as defense evaluator: Charlie Pfeffer (on my panel), Chuck Trickey, Dennis Killeen, and Tim O'Neill.
In addition, you do catch up on current events. Unfortunately, not all current news is good news. On August 14, 2019, I learned of the most recent, but apparently final retirement of Sarah Horace, the MTA hearings clerk. Sarah was the Mediation Tribunal to most litigants and evaluators.
I remember back when I was a plaintiff lawyer at a high volume firm, I was at Case Eval a lot. After checking in, I would kind of "wander" back to the hearing rooms, only to hear Sarah call out: "I see you goin' back there, Butler! Don't you be goin' back there, Butler!" She thought I was trying to "jump the queue", ahead of other litigants. She was right.
Sarah retired once before and was called back to put the Tribunal back in order.
Apparently Sarah said her goodbyes at the August 9 2019 MTA golf outing, just the week before I sat. I did not attend the outing. I was preparing for trial at the time, and I don't golf. Plaintiff PI lawyers generally don't schmooze their clients on the golf course. I have tried to golf, but I was not good at it. Whenever I teed off the little church doors would close before my ball got up the ramp.
This time the retirement is official, I hear. Sarah has family out of state and will be moving to be near them. Although the new hearings clerk is extremely nice, the Tribunal won't be the same without Sarah.
If that was not bad enough, during the day I learned of the sudden death of Mike Daniels, a retired attorney from the firm of Romain, Donoforio, Kuck and Eggerer. The firm's office was on the same floor in the same building and in space now part of the Mike Morse Law Firm.
We used to refer to Daniels' firm as "Romain, Cobb, Bibb, and Iceberg-Lettuce serve you".
Mike was one of the good guys. A great advocate, Mike knew his files and his law, and he didn't take the practice too seriously.
When he retired a few years back, we got a letter or email, just saying he was retiring. Period. No second career as mediator, and I don't know that he even came back to be a case evaluator.
His death was sudden. I don't know the circumstances well enough to say anything else. He was here, we worked together for decades and now he is gone. Very bad news. Rest in Peace, my friend.
Finally, I heard a rumor of some sort legislative assault on either case evaluation generally, or the Wayne County Tribunal in particular, coming from the western and/or northern parts of the state.
While case evaluation is not perfect, I don't think it needs to be either eliminated or fundamentally changed. I have offered to help address these issues.
I hope we don't lose the Mediation Tribunal, especially after I have finally qualified as a neutral. I understand that neutrals are in such short supply that they continue to get appointed up to 2 years after they pass.