Today started out as many other days. I was up and out of bed before 6 AM., showered, shaved, dressed and out the door by 7 AM. The next hour I sat in traffic trying to beat another driver into the next ope space, inching along.

One good thing about the morning drive, it’s to early to catch most people on the phone. I say most people because I can always catch my law school friend Eddie. Most days Eddie is on the road by 6AM or so, by the time I get on the road he’s on his second cup of tea and ready to discuss the day ahead as well as local and national news. So, at least once a week, Eddie and I spend a good part of our morning drive time discussing everything from squirrely judges, to uneducated opposing counsel to children.

On those mornings that I’m not on the phone with Eddie I’m either listening to a book on tape, anything by David Baldacci or Lee Child, or, dictating notes for my latest book or article. Regardless, I try to make the most of my drive time. Anything to keep my mind off how much time I am actually spending each day in the car. While I try to be productive during my drive time, I try to avoid the more distracting activities like reading the paper or changing my clothes. I’m serious I have seen people actually trying to change their clothes while driving down the freeway. So, my thought is, productivity good, reading or other distractions, bad.

This morning is fairly typical. I will be monitoring a case in one of the courtrooms in downtown Sacramento one where I check in at least twice a week. With any luck I will walk in, check with the clerk or the bailiff, and within a few minutes the case I'm interested in will actually begin. If not I will be back in my car and on my way to another court looking for something of interest.

It may sound like it but, I’m not an attorney. Not that I wouldn't lke to be an attorney. I mean come on, most of them work way to many hours, get paid way to little and then have to put up with people just like them. What's not to love about it? Seriously, I have a lot of friends who are attorneys and I hang out around them all the time. In some ways I guess it's sour grapes because I couldn't quite make it.

I have attorneys who see me in courtrooms ask me if I am an attorney and then why I'm not. Sometimes, with the right person, I respond that I'm just to smart to get into that work. Even though I'm not an attorney I work for attorneys. I used to say I was a private investigator, it wasn't true. The reality is that I'm more of a hanger on in the legal industry.

I decided, at the age of 30, to go to law school seeking independence. Not so much the financial kind, although I am always trying to make more than a living. But independence in my schedule. In order to achieve that independence I work as a contractor, hired by attorneys to help out on a project basis. Working this way allows me to set my own rates and hours, at least to some extent. This gives me the freedom to work on other projects. Such as this brilliant piece right here.

Years ago when I was in law school I noticed that there were a lot of attorneys, sole practitioners, who had a hard time accomplishing all of the work they needed to. Not just to take care of there clients and their cases, but also to make a living. I also figured out that there are firms who are taking on cases statewide and then need to find local attorneys to complete the work, appear in court and so forth. I mean it would take just one trip from San Diego to Sacramento to eat up the entire profit margin on some of these cases that I get called to help with. So the idea was that I would do legal work piecemeal. Some may ask how I can do this not having graduated from law school or become licensed to practice law. It's really quite easy. I work for attorneys, all, or most of them, sole practitioners who need just a little help now and then but certainly not enough to hire someone full-time.

So I have found, or created, a niche. My little piece of the legal pie. I contribute to hundreds of cases each year without being responsible for more than a little piece of each of them. I interview witnesses, take pictures of accident scenes and injuries. For several years i was a registered process server. Taking pieces of paper and delivering them to people who didn't want to receive them. It really can pay quite well and with a fax machine and post office box I was in business. Today I don't serve legal papers very often and I only stand in line at the clerk's office to file paperwork when specifically asked and I have an hour to waste. Thank goodness for cell phones and unlimited minutes.

Most days are like today, I walk into a courtroom, have a short conversation with the bailiff and clerk. See if anything looks interesting on that day's calendar. If anything looks promising I take a seat and watch for something noteworth. You'd be surprised where a story can come from. One of my favorite stories, I've had a few meals from it, came from a mixed calendar in a neighboring county. As I observed the judge started doing name changes, usually a routine thing. Teenagers getting their driver's license and want the name they've used in school and with friends on the license rather than the one they were given at birth to honor great-granddad. This day was different because the petitioner, that's the guy changing his name, was an adult and had decided to change his name b ecause he wanted a new one. No other reason, just he was tired of being just a another guy named "Bob". After listening to his story, we all had a good laugh and he had a new name.

Hanging around courtrooms I have learned many things. Most of the time cliches are affirmed. From my experience fact is truly stranger than fiction, no good deed goes unpunished, and while you can't take it with you if you write the will right you can have all of your relatives fighting about you, and your possessions, for years to come.