Publisher's Notebook

Tonight, two teams no one thought would be in the World Series square off — the San Francisco Giants, who haven’t won the big prize since 1954, when the team was in New York, and the Texas Rangers, who never have been to a World Series, despite playing in the American League since 1972. Actually they were the second-coming Washington Senators from 1961 to 1971, and they never made it to the Series either, making that a drought lasting 50 seasons.

Needless to say, Texas fans are deliriously happy. Maybe over-the-top happy.

There’s a Dallas lawyer named Darrell Cook, who months ago believed his beloved Rangers were tanking another season when he set a preliminary hearing for…Oct. 27, this morning. He bought tickets for Game 1 in San Francisco and he filed a motion for a continuance that Scribd calls the “Greatest Filing Ever from a Texas Rangers Fan.” You’ll have to read the motion, which makes reference to Darrell’s longstanding love for the team, the fact that the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez (ARod a/k/a AFraud, according to the motion), a former Ranger, took a called third strike to give Texas the pennant and numerous other events this season. Don’t overlook the footnotes.

Good news for Cook. About an hour ago, he tweeted (#dwcook), “The judge just granted my motion to continue Whew. .Good thing- I am on a plane in Houston. Go #Rangers. That’s how lawyering go.”

Indeed.

Then there’s Boris Briskin. A native of Plano, Texas, Briskin, a 2009 graduate of Loyola law school, was a law clerk at a Los Angeles firm, according to LinkedIn.

Briskin quit his job at the firm to attend the World Series, reports KDFW, a Dallas-Fort Worth television station.

Briskin’s explanation: “It’s the Rangers. I’ve loved the Rangers for so long. They haven’t been to the playoffs since ’99. They’ve gone through so much since then. I really couldn’t miss this,” he said, admitting that he will blow a wad of cash for tickets.

He added that he is confident he’ll get a new job once he returns to California. Wonder how he’ll answer that “Reason for leaving prior employment” section on any job applications.

This is one of those stories that leaves you wondering if it’s really true. If it turns out to be an urban legend, I’ll update.

It takes place in Sweden, with an account from The Local, a website that posts Swedish news in English.

Professor at a university in northern Sweden comes home, tired from a long day. He dumps his backpack containing all his stuff (wallet, keys, laptop computer) in a stairwell and goes to the building’s laundry room.

A few minutes later, he comes back and the backpack is missing. He wails and goes the cops for help. Shortly thereafter, he returns to the stairwell, only to find the backpack is back.

Except for his laptop, which is gone. He admitted to a local Swedish paper that he was bad at backing up the computer. All his research was tØast.

Fast forward a week. A mysterious envelope arrives in the mail, containing a USB memory stick that had been taken with the computer. On it, the thief had copied all the professor’s personal files and documents.

“I am very happy,” he told the newspaper. “This story makes me feel hope for humanity.”

Call it compassionate criminality. Ah, a thief with a heart of gold. You can practicality hear the screenplay being written on this one as we speak.

Things must be different in Sweden. In 1990, my house was broken into and the thief stole my camera holding film containing once-in-a-lifetime snaps of my children with their grandfather. I’m sad to say I never got one of those mysterious envelopes.

The Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys held its annual meeting late last week and the organization marked several significant firsts:

· It was the first time the VADA held its annual do at The Homestead. Both the Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association have been meeting there for some time. The VADA typically has moved its confab around the state. Attendance was good and the crowd was happy.

· It was the first time that the group ever has had two women officers. Elizabeth Perrow of Roanoke was elected secretary, joining President-Elect Lisa Clement of Richmond in the leadership loop.

· The Roanoke firm of Frankl, Miller & Webb had 100 percent attendance – all five of the firm’s lawyers made the trip up to Hot Springs. It’s doubtful that’s a first. But three of five won a door prize, marking no doubt the first time the majority of a firm went home a winner.

HOT SPRINGS–Hey buddy, want to get your hands on a “dirty transcript”?

Attendees at the annual meeting of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys perked up when Bill Archambault mentioned a “dirty transcript” in a seminar about using technology for courtroom presentations.

Seems most people weren’t familiar with the term. Was that something that came in a plain brown envelope? Was it something one might send over the cell phone to Jenn Sterger?

Nothing that spicy. A “dirty transcript” is one that the court reporter hasn’t edited and formatted just yet. It’s the raw data at the end of a day of trial. Archambault said he once used a dirty transcript to create part of a PowerPoint for closing.

So give Archambault credit for introducing a new term into the legal lexicon. But retired Richmond Circuit Judge Ted Markow, who was also on the panel, got the last word. He said he had never seen a “dirty transcript.” He added, “I don’t think I want to.”

I was out in Nevada (that’s Nev-ADD-ah, not Nev-AHD-ah) last weekend, at the Society of Professional Journalists convention in Las Vegas.

If you’ve never been there, suffice it to say that Vegas is over the top and in-your-face on just about every level. After I checked in to the Planet Hollywood, where the SPJ was meeting, I rounded the corner and right there on the elevator doors was a larger-than-life poster of Holly Madison, former Playboy Girl Next Door and star of “Peepshow.”  I managed to miss that show, but I assume it was suited to Holly’s talents.

And billboards. All over there were lawyer billboards. Law firms must be keeping the Vegas billboard industry in business.  

One p.i. firm tried poetry: “In a wreck? Get a check!”

Many others offered bankruptcy help. Considering Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country, I’m guessing those lawyers stay busy.

Traffic tickets must be a problem in Vegas. You can call the ”Ticket Busters” for help. The billboards and website feature a cartoony cop. The firm promises, “NO court. NO traffic school. NO insurance increase (asterisk: “In most cases”).  

There was one firm that seemed to be everywhere: “Half Price Lawyers,” a group that promised to handle your traffic ticket for 50 bucks. For other matters, they have payment plans starting at $100 down.

How can they work so cheap? Their website explains that Half Price Lawyers can charge lower fees “because we only hire experienced seasoned attorneys who have already handled lots of cases like yours.” The site adds, in case you didn’t know, “Experienced attorneys can usually find the answers more quickly than new lawyers lacking experience.”

HPL is the brainchild of Adam Stokes, who has been practicing in Nevada since 2004. He was the force behind Ticket Busters before he sold the firm to another guy, according to Wild Wild Law, “a tabloid blog” dedicated to Nevada law, judges and lawyers.

The Half Price crew is multimedia. In case anyone in Las Vegas missed them, the site features little pictures of their bright yellow and red billboards and their ads on city buses. There’s a little radio you can click to hear their jingle:

Bankruptcy or DUI
Tickets or divorce
Or you’ve been in an accident
And looking for recourse
None of these are pleasant
But here’s something that’s nice
Our lawyers want to help you
And our lawyers are half-price.

If you’re interested, there’s a link to “Franchising and Licensing Opportunities.” The firm will consider licensing the brand. In other words, the “Half Price Lawyers” moniker doesn’t have to stay in Vegas.