Post Seventy-Six: Amusing legal anecdote 2

So I show up at a hearing a couple of minutes late last Friday on a Motion to Dismiss I had filed; I apologize to the Court, but no harm, no foul since the plaintiffs' attorneys hadn't shown up yet. I start talking to one of the other defense attorneys, and the following conversation takes place:

Other defense attorney: "So I was reading about your client a couple of weeks ago. Isn't he dead?"

Me: "Huh?"

I was totally in the dark about this. No idea whatsoever. I assumed (and you know the saying) that this little tidbit of information would be something that the client (in this case, his insurer) might keep us abreast of.

Anyway, as we were making introductions, I state my name, advise who I'm there on behalf of, "who may or may not be dead." The judge had a pretty good laugh at that, which is always a plus. Regardless, the plaintiffs' attorneys finally showed up, and promptly advised that they were nonsuiting my client (unsurprisingly). It wouldn't have mattered, anyway. My Motion to Dismiss was a lock to win.

Nonetheless, I'm going to have the firm start beefing up its retainer agreements, setting out that the client must let us know if he's dead.