My last work Friday night, other than checking the eleven o’clock news — hoping BP had found a miracle to contain the oil spill, was to read emails from Texas attorney Steve Mostyn and Javier Delgado, of our firm about coinsurance coverage issues. I woke up this morning thinking about yesterday. My wife, Kim, noticed that my cell phone’s power was depleted, and she asked whether I wanted it recharged. I thought some more about yesterday. "No" was the answer.
Friday literally started with me on a jet from Los Angeles to Orlando. I don’t know exactly how to keep track of that time because I left at a little after 9 pm on Thursday, lost three hours, and arrived at some ungodly hour in Orlando. When I was very young in my career and an ambitious insurance defense lawyer, I intentionally scheduled a non-stop trip to San Francisco so I could legitimately bill more than 24 hours in a twenty four hour day. Since then, I have heard some amazing insurance defense lawyer billing stories of similar billing without leaving the same time zone.
Friday morning was filled with meetings with my co-counsel, Adam Moskowitz, and a team of other attorneys and experts regarding the BP Oil Spill. We have a major hearing scheduled next Friday in our attempt to get some injunctive relief for our clients and others in the Florida panhandle. Much of what we are doing, if successful, will help get businesses and people more money in their pockets, much more quickly. The matters before the Court are important. It is a privilege to be working with Adam and other counsel, trying to obtain protective remedies which can have immediate and long term impacts for the better of so many.
Interspersed during those discussions and meetings were telephone conferences primarily involving Texas Hurricane Ike litigation. Significant events concerning discovery, preparation for trial, and settlement conferences are ongoing. Many of our firm’s attorneys and staff are deeply engaged in these matters, including me. While I was in Texas two days this week, there is a constant stream of emails and phone calls regarding these cases and litigation. The non-stop work on that litigation results in emails at all hours, as attorneys work on their cases. The exchange between Mostyn, Delgado and myself is the not the exception. The Texas insurance defense attorneys are certain to have us on their holiday card list because we are helping them bill for an extraordinary amount of work in 2010.
During my trip back to Tampa Friday afternoon, I made logistical arrangements for the next work week and completed work that had to go out before the rest of the world takes a weekend break. I had significant conference calls with engineers and a consultant working on a scientific analysis regarding the damage on Bolivar Peninsula caused by Hurricane Ike winds. In addition, I spoke with a journalist following up on my blog post, Is BP Hiring Ignorant Claims Handlers with Little Dollar Authority to Pay Claims? It is refreshing to see others outside the insurance and adjustment community take notice of something so important.
You never know what guest posts will be about. This morning, I was surprised to read the title of Nicole Vinson’s post, How To Make More Money! Today, I am not about making money and will attend my daughter, Austin‘s, dance recital this afternoon.
There is a time to enjoy the fruits of labor and simply rest. I cannot imagine it being any better than watching my pretty little girl who so quickly became a beautiful young woman.
