Quick Summer Summary

Well, it's been a while since I ripped something out of the keyboard to post here on the firm's website.

But Dear Reader, t'was not from a lack of diligence. We've been busier than a bunch of Capitol Hill politicos running towards the cameras and away from the microphones.

(And with the Silly Season of Political Knees and Elbows having been thrust upon us ever sooner and sooner, I'll have plenty to say sooner rather than later about the Confederacy of Dunces that now plague our eyes and ears in seemingly eternal fashion but for now the following will suffice:

• a) Memo to John McCain, whose campaign's life is being gauged by the mirror they're holding in front of his pursed lips to see if it fogs up: John, next time the Campaign Finance Reform Urge strikes, Just Say NO! See, it takes Money and Lots of It to run for Prez and too, it helps if you get some bang for your buck. Lord, what a bust!
• b) Hillary gets Demmy Nommy pretty easy and will face Fred Thompson, the Elephants' Answer to "Where's The Gipper?"
• c) Hill and Bill are NOT shoo-ins; it will be a tight fight.)

Since my last scribblings, we've moved a number of cases to settlement and resolution through hard work and great teamwork. We're preparing others for trial, if that's what the 'wrong side' wants. We're interviewing and reviewing many, many new inquiries and taking on only the ones that we feel we can work and pursue effectively. And we're preparing newly accepted cases for suit and well beyond.

And we've been working with and in and on the charities that we care so much about, especially Darkness To Light and also, the University of North Carolina.

And we've been chasing children and traveling here, there and almost everywhere; oldest daughter finished sophomore year in Chapel Hill, worked at an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya and is currently Senior Team Leader at an academic and leadership camp outside San Diego. Our son graduated from high school and is already attending college and working in Montana and our youngest is cranking up for Wando High School by reading everything in sight, attending computer camp and working as a 'Soda Jerk' at our neighborhood drugstore and grilled cheese emporium.

And Andrea and I have gotten a chance to spend a little vacation time on the west coast of Mexico via a pretty lively cruise ship, in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills visiting family and gawking at movie stars and celebrities and visiting with all our children in beautiful California and stunning Montana.

In a moment, I'll give y'all a look a few of the new matters we've taken under our wing; pretty interesting stuff.

But first, I would be remiss if I did not bend at the waist for a Really Deep Heartfelt Bow in the specific direction of one very worthy person, she being a lady named Andrea.

Andrea, who just happens to be one of my tried and true legal assistants (and also my wife of 22 years!) is the creator, brains and engine of our firm's web site and y'all know what?

According to a recent competition we knew Nothing about, held statewide here in South Carolina by SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYERS WEEKLY newspaper which judged every law firm website in the state, ours was independently judged and found to be BEST SMALL FIRM WEBSITE and BEST OVERALL.

Damn good, I'd say and she gets all the credit. So endeth the lesson.

Now, as summer dwindles humidly away, we're cranking up again, preparing for battle and football season too.

So, what's new? Here is a sampling.

My North Carolina work has added a new dimension to my practice which is fun and intriguing too.

-In a Commercial Lease fight, we represent a huge, national company who is being sued by another huge, national company. They say our client tossed them out of their rental space in mega-office building; we say their clients left and vacated the building four months before they filed suit. All's that at stake is about a half-million (Good Lord!) dollars in rent.

-In another piece of Commercial/Business Litigation, we represent a group of developers who borrowed over 3 million dollars and spent about half that to begin construction on a large retail space, based upon the representations and guarantees of some Florida millionaires who then, at the last minute cut and ran.

-We represent a lovely, elderly couple who were returning home from a doctor's visit and a side trip to Burger King for some lunch when a soft-drink bottler's truck, driven by a fellow who had gotten in from a week of partying in San Juan about 2 a.m. that very morning, crossed the center line and hit them head on. No one killed, Thank God, but awful injuries.

-And there's much , much more already in the pot and a whole lot more beginning to bubble to the surface. I am assisted in North Carolina by a squadron of really smart, great people and especially by a couple of damn fine young turks (very polite and nice too but they enjoy helping me find the way to administer a whuppin', if at all possible...).

Here in South Carolina, the more things change, the more they stay the same-real busy and always interesting too.

New cases in and developing include a horrible boating death in the upstate, a misdiagnosis of cancer which will kill a young Mother and Wife, a military officer, just back from multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, minding his own business with friends at dinner,of the blue, brutally assaulted by a drunk businessman who immediately runs away and a nice lady who dies when, after her 'simple, routine surgery', complications set in and her on-call surgeon never responds to multiple pages and now the surgeon cannot explain why he didn't respond or even where he was.

Enough!

It's Saturday, and after a few more hours in the office, I'm off to North Carolina for more work up that way and then back here for a bit before heading to Hilton Head for the annual meeting of the South Carolina Trial Lawyers.

Thanks to All of You for your help and support and interest over the years! More later.