That’s My Signature, and I Never Get Tired of Seeing It

The first document that I ever filed as an independent practitioner was a Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction under Rule 12(b)(1).  By a bizarre stroke of beginner’s luck, I had been retained to serve as local counsel for a major casino which had been sued in federal district court in the District of Columbia.  The issues involved were fairly basic ones relating to long arm jurisdiction, and my twenty five page motion practically wrote itself.  The casino’s inhouse counsel approved my draft, and gave me the go ahead to file it.  And so, I signed my name with a flourish – and then sat back to admire my signature, standing alone and proud on the page. 

Even now, fourteen years later, I’ve not yet tired of seeing my signature on a document, identifying me as the author and guaranteeing the quality of my work.   It’s just another one of those small thrills of solo practice that matter so much.