Year In Review, 2022.
Books Read (in order read)
1. The Brethren by John Grisham (2000)2. The Premonition by Michael Lewis (2021)
3. Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring (2019)
4. Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa (2021)
5. Going There by Katie Couric (2021) [cd unabridged]
6. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman (2018) [cd unabridged]
7. My Dark Places by James Ellroy (1996)
8. Showtime by Jeff Pearlman (2014)
9. Three-Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman (2020)
10. The Law of Innocence (sixth Lincoln Lawyer novel) by Michael Connelly (2020) [cd unabridged]
11. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century (2017) by Jessica Bruder [audiobook unabridged]
5. Going There by Katie Couric (2021) [cd unabridged]
6. The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman (2018) [cd unabridged]
7. My Dark Places by James Ellroy (1996)
8. Showtime by Jeff Pearlman (2014)
9. Three-Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman (2020)
10. The Law of Innocence (sixth Lincoln Lawyer novel) by Michael Connelly (2020) [cd unabridged]
11. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century (2017) by Jessica Bruder [audiobook unabridged]
12. Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet (2007) [cd unabridged]
13. Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton by Jeff Pearlman (2011)
14. The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly (2016) [cd unabridged]
15. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer (2003) [cd unabridged]
16. The Drop by Michael Connelly (2016) [cd unabridged]
17. The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman (2022)
18. The Betrayal by Robert Mazur (2022)
19. Kennedy's Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy, and Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby by Dan Abrams and David Fisher (2021)
20. Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)
21. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (2017)
22. One D%&@ Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General by William P. Barr (2022)
23. San Fransicko by Michael Shellenberger (2021)
24. The Partisan: The Life of William Rehnquist by John A. Jenkins (2012)
25. Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld (2020)
26. Pesos: The Rise and Fall of a Border Family by Pietro La Greca, Jr. with Rebecca Paley
27. Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison by Chris Hedges (2021) [cd unabridged]
28. Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac (2019)
29. The War on the West by Douglas Murray (2022)
30. The Appeal by John Grisham (2009) [cd unabridged]
31. The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer (2005)
32. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) [audio unabridged]
33. Sparring Partners by John Grisham (2022) [cd unabridged]
34. Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi (2009) [cd unabridged]
35. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (2005) [cd unabridged]
36. Holding the Line by Geoffrey Berman (2022)
FAMILY
Family was everything to Mom. And her roles in those families. I say plural because there were two families that were significant to her: the Human Family and the Family of God.
Human Family
Even though she was highly educated with a master’s degree and professionally accomplished as an educator (and other things), I've said that having children or being a mom was her life’s purpose within this human family.
She really was an excellent mother. I reflect on the hallmarks of her life as a mother. Some characteristics predominate: her selflessness, for example. If there was one last slice of pizza, she wasn't taking it.
Her supportiveness stood out. While she wasn’t a sports fan in particular prior to my emergence on the scene, that changed. She would come to my baseball games, and as I recall, who write up summaries of the games in a newsletter that the Little League distributed.
As her mother, she was unconditionally loving. I never questioned her love. And she set that example for her family. But she got this example from Christ (and her parents). This human familial setting leads us to the Family of God.
Family of God
Life of service. While pastor’s spouse, entertained often. She was a good host. I remember we had a guest book in the house. It was fun to review it and see who had some to visit over the years.
Growing up, I remember Mom and Dad singing the song, Family of God by Bill Gaither. Its lyrics include:
"I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God-
I've been washed in the fountain,
cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus
as we travel this sod,
For I'm part of the family,
the family of God."
I saw her the morning of her passing. And said to her, "You did it. You made it."
Appeal of the Year
13. Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton by Jeff Pearlman (2011)
14. The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly (2016) [cd unabridged]
15. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer (2003) [cd unabridged]
16. The Drop by Michael Connelly (2016) [cd unabridged]
17. The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman (2022)
18. The Betrayal by Robert Mazur (2022)
19. Kennedy's Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy, and Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby by Dan Abrams and David Fisher (2021)
20. Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)
21. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (2017)
22. One D%&@ Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General by William P. Barr (2022)
23. San Fransicko by Michael Shellenberger (2021)
24. The Partisan: The Life of William Rehnquist by John A. Jenkins (2012)
25. Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld (2020)
26. Pesos: The Rise and Fall of a Border Family by Pietro La Greca, Jr. with Rebecca Paley
27. Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison by Chris Hedges (2021) [cd unabridged]
28. Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac (2019)
29. The War on the West by Douglas Murray (2022)
30. The Appeal by John Grisham (2009) [cd unabridged]
31. The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer (2005)
32. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) [audio unabridged]
33. Sparring Partners by John Grisham (2022) [cd unabridged]
34. Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi (2009) [cd unabridged]
35. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (2005) [cd unabridged]
36. Holding the Line by Geoffrey Berman (2022)
Book of the Year
Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring (2019)
It reminds one of Moby Dick. Both as Melville and Captain Ahab. Tremendous, decades-long effort that nearly destroyed the pursuer.
Athletic Achievement of the Year
53 10k runs
365/365 workouts (8th year in a row)
Honorable Mention: FKT (for me) Mt. Baldy (or Mt. San Antonio)
https://twitter.com/nblaw/status/1551002344677994498?s=20&t=ppBuNpmo1MeRsmI85dC_JQ
Concert of the Year
Tool Phoenix, AZ
Losses Sustained
Stephanie Radcliffe (Mom) (3-8-22)
Family was everything to Mom. And her roles in those families. I say plural because there were two families that were significant to her: the Human Family and the Family of God.
Human Family
Even though she was highly educated with a master’s degree and professionally accomplished as an educator (and other things), I've said that having children or being a mom was her life’s purpose within this human family.
She really was an excellent mother. I reflect on the hallmarks of her life as a mother. Some characteristics predominate: her selflessness, for example. If there was one last slice of pizza, she wasn't taking it.
Her supportiveness stood out. While she wasn’t a sports fan in particular prior to my emergence on the scene, that changed. She would come to my baseball games, and as I recall, who write up summaries of the games in a newsletter that the Little League distributed.
Mother-child wasn't her only relationship. She had rings of them. She was also a superb spouse, sister, aunt, cousin, daughter, and friend. People talked about how she support them often.
As her mother, she was unconditionally loving. I never questioned her love. And she set that example for her family. But she got this example from Christ (and her parents). This human familial setting leads us to the Family of God.
Family of God
Life of service. While pastor’s spouse, entertained often. She was a good host. I remember we had a guest book in the house. It was fun to review it and see who had some to visit over the years.
Growing up, I remember Mom and Dad singing the song, Family of God by Bill Gaither. Its lyrics include:
"I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God-
I've been washed in the fountain,
cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus
as we travel this sod,
For I'm part of the family,
the family of God."
She loved the Lord and his Word. I remember she spent the time to write out in long hand the book of Proverbs, as if it were addressed to personally. In this and many other ways, she wanted me to develop the love she had for the Bible.
Even after Dad left the professional ministry, they both remained involved in church, including organizing a church library and playing piano. I remember meeting someone at their church who said, "People don’t see all the things they the do." It's an understatement to say that she exhibited a life of service.
Even after Dad left the professional ministry, they both remained involved in church, including organizing a church library and playing piano. I remember meeting someone at their church who said, "People don’t see all the things they the do." It's an understatement to say that she exhibited a life of service.
I saw her the morning of her passing. And said to her, "You did it. You made it."
Appeal of the Year
"Do you like representing Appellants or winning?"
--question posed to appellate practitioner on podcast
It's true that appellate courts don't seem particularly happy to see appellants at oral arguments.
However, I'm pleased to report that I fell into the relatively small group of appellate attorneys who obtained a reversal of a judgment this year. The case pertained to an arcane issue where the trial court did not believe the plaintiff had standing to sue in state court due to earlier events in a federal court. The court of appeal reversed 3-0 and published it.
Trial Court Case of the Year
Used a statute to establish a breach of a fiduciary duty and in turn obtained a seven-figure judgment against several defendants for my client.
Honorable Mention:
https://twitter.com/nblaw/status/1541599756824129537?s=20&t=lnKz1p4RR_0mNzgPYWDjEA
Fulfilled annual treks to Maui and Sedona
Fulfilled annual treks to Maui and Sedona
posted by nblaw @ 3:59 PM
