I'm finished with all my fact finding hearings of any consequence until after the New Year. Nice feeling to get a bit of a break. Of course there is always an enormous amount of paperwork to do as well.

I have this one judge who acts likes he thinks I am not all that bright. I am bright, but I'm not always as organized as I would like to be, and my presentation during a hearing could use some improvement.

In a couple of cases over the course last few months, I deliberately left some large gaps in my factual presentation. I did it because what went in those gaps was not favorable to my client. As I was doing it though, I tried to make it seem that I was being absent minded about it. So while for another allegedly sharper lawyer those gaps might create a problem with the case, I was hoping that in my case the judge would assume that it was oversight on my part. In both cases, the opposing attorneys did not probe those areas with my witness, but instead just pointed out in closing arguments how the area had not been covered. I think they were assuming the same thing: that I left those areas blank out of oversight.

I won both cases.

Don't mess with me. The perception of my incompetence can and will be used against you.