I'm saddened and concerned about a close friend. We're both attorneys and have worked on several cases together. Almost a symbiotic relationship where one of us will see something the other has missed, whether it's law, fact, and/or analysis. We just work so well together. When she gets excited or passionate, I can wait for her to calm down and we continue.

Today, I got a phonecall from her and she was almost beside herself about Trump, voting fraud, and the Election. She doesn't believe it was a fair election (e.g., Pennsylvania and Michigan). She cited Giuliani, Powell, and Trump talking points. I asked where she got her information and she immediately decried Mainstream Media, CNN, MSNBC, NPR. She watches FOX News, Newsmax and reads them online. And believes it all. Well, not so much says they're factual, but she totally believes that the issues are unsettled and that Trump may be robbed of a majority vote.

As an aside, she is troubled by "undocumented people" getting Medicare, Social Security, student loans/grants, etc. And the thing is that she is an excellent adult school teacher of ESL (English as a Second Language). I mean, her students must be part of the demographic that she's criticizing. (By this time, she's nearly shouting into the phone.)

I am the polar opposite. I've watched/listened to ALL of the news since 1998. I decide whom to consider and whom to discard. I also confirm stuff from several news sources.

In short, I just can't talk to her anymore. I'm sighing. An attorney (with bachelors and masters degrees as well as law school) in a New York State county close to the City and she's literally drunk the Kool Aid. She won't listen or consider the other positions.

Show all your cards at trial or risk losing any chance of presenting evidence in the future.

You can hope that the Appellate Court will allow "new evidence," but it better be REALLY NEW, i.e., it didn't exist or it wasn't discovered at the time of trial.

I've tried for a Reconsideration (of evidence presented at trial) with a return to trial. That's even harder.

Once you're in Appellate Court, all you can essentially debate is the law and procedure. Facts are essentially recorded in stone.

There is the possibility that your case could have prevailed with the additional evidence at trial, but you failed to make it available for consideration. And you could be looking at a friendly new case of legal malpractice by your client.

was to make my brother and my sister turn against me. Specifically, he hoped they would blame me for their disinheritance. (If I hadn't been such a terrible daughter to Dad, then he wouldn't have to punish all of us. This was a theme during our childhoods)

Fortunately it didn't play out that way. My siblings and I have never been closer.

Sorry, I don't know who said it.

I'm referencing Donald Trump at this stage of his presidency.

I don't regret that we voted him (legally) out of office.

Am I apprehensive of what he could possibly do because of the shame, embarrassment, and fate that awaits him? Sure.

But he was a dangerous animal while in Office and he made no bones about staying there indefinitely.

So, that's essentially a dilemma where both options suck. At least with him leaving, the bleeding will eventually stop.

When our abusive father was still alive, my sister would warn me that if I "got Dad mad," I'd be disinherited. I figured, no matter what I said or did, I'd still be disinherited. While I didn't tell Dad what I really thought of him, I didn't hold back my opinions. Punchline: Dad died. His Will was read. He disinherited me and my sister and my brother. They didn't have my courage and still got caught up in Dad's desire to punish us from the grave. While I didn't get the money, I have the satisfaction that I fought back when I had the chance.