Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

Kim Tucker, David Vandergriff, Rick Ramsay, David Powell, and Walter May, all paddlers of note, Past Presidents of ACA Chapters, and infamous Legal Counsel to the Red Boat Fleet were all listed as being among the Arkansas Times Best Lawyers in Arkansas. Congratulations to them all!!

Wow thats pretty amazing, congrats, now if we can start recruiting judges and sherrifs into the community we'll really be set!

We had a County Prosecutor at one time in Steve Evans. A real up and comer. He couldn't make any money there so he returned to his previous profession. No more worries about released convicts retaliating!

And soon we should have the Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk among our ranks.

Gordon Kumpuris wrote:And soon we should have the Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk among our ranks.

Damn, BL, counting votes before they're cast?! Oh, noes!!!!! Gonna get the Election Commission involved!

Crane wrote:Kim Tucker, David Vandergriff, Rick Ramsay, David Powell, and Walter May, all paddlers of note, Past Presidents of ACA Chapters, and infamous Legal Counsel to the Red Boat Fleet were all listed as being among the Arkansas Times Best Lawyers in Arkansas. Congratulations to them all!!

That's outstanding and I feel certain they each earned the recognition. Congratulations.

Insert Lawyer Joke here --------->

I have really enjoyed my floats with ACC members. Hope to join soon.

My genuine and sincere thanks to Crane for his kind words. However, I don't want to appear to be flying under false colors. Many of these "best" lists are just an advertising gimmick by the companies that invented them.

That's not to say that in some cases (i.e. Kim, Ranger Rick, Powell and Walter) there is plenty of correlation between making the list and skill level. I agree with their inclusion on the list, and props to Crane for recognizing them.

But, in most cases (i.e. me) the "award" or "rating" is a disguise for a slick ad promotion aimed at using the lawyer's hyper inflated ego to separate him from his money. Invariably, you receive a notice that you've "made the list" and, oh by the way, wouldn't you like commemorate the honor by purchasing a plaque, framed certificate, or ad space in some publication for a measly couple hundred bucks (or more)? (Martindale-Hubbell is the world's best or worst at this, depending on your perspective). Trust me. These people don't have a clue what type of law I practice or whether I'm any good at it. I think I can prove it. In the last year I've made 3 of these kinds of lists, each time in a different category (I may not be good enough to make a best lawyers list in any one single category, let alone three).

Shame on the predatory practices of these Madison Avenue vultures for exploiting the weaknesses of one of modern society's most emotionally vulnerable groups.

P.S. Next time you're in the area stop by my office. I'll show you my three new plaques!

Okay, David Bob, you've convinced me... You're not only not a real Best Lawyer, you're an easy touch!

Earlier today, I made up another Best Lawyers list of my own and, low and behold, you're on it! All that's required is that you forward a certified check drawn to me in the amount of $250 for each of the ten areas in which you want to be honored to cover handling and other costs and I will forward to you a beautiful plaque which will grace any wall in your offices recognizing your outstanding achievements! I look forward to hearing from you soon!

I've often wondered if there was a required course for JD's in local colloquialisms. Every time I've talked to an attorney they always get folksy on me and use terms like "That dog won't hunt", or "We don't have a dog in that fight". My favorite was one about, "Getting down to the lick log"!!! Now that one kind of scared me. I'm more comfortable talking about dogs and such than lick logs. Anybody got a clue what that one was about?

Back in the dark ages, I took Contracts from Judge Billy Roy "Muley" Wilson. That class was my best exposure to classic turns of phrase to be used when a smart, well-educated lawyer wanted to appear folksy to a jury... and Bill Wilson is still known as the best at this. David Pryor used the technique well in his political endeavors... remember his "Coondog" speech... Yale educated, Fullbright Scholar Bill Clinton has been known to adopt it, too, for effect. I've never been successful at it, being neither smart nor well-educated, so when I use phrases like "get down to the lick-log" I'm just talkin' like my Daddy and his Pa and Ma did... and they were as country as six miles of dirt road... Ma only went to school one day... The teacher called her down for whistling and she never went back. Pa had a good education, all the way to the 5th grade. He taught Ma numbers, but she never could read or write... but, she ran a small store pretty well anyway. So, to get down to the lick-log, I have absolutely no real knowlege of the origins of the phrase... but, that doesn't stop me from using it!

OK, so I'm at work, all alone mind you, and bored, so I googled "down to the lick log". About three interpretations:

I have heard several older lawyers use this term in referring to having exhausted all settlement efforts

The phrase “down to the licklog” relates to the second to last thing cattle did before they died. It was an old rancher trick to take them to the salt lick and then to water to increase the weight before slaughter.

The phrase you cited appears to be a fragment and misconstruction of “stand up to [one’s] licklog”, which means to stand firm. In pioneer times grazing land was unfenced and used by many herds in common; a herdsman occasionally needed determination to keep his cattle at the lick when a neighboring herdsman was impatient to have the use of it.

So in closing I've done about everything I can do today at work, I've had my salt and water, and I'm standing firm and declaring that I'm about to bail out of here, so....

I'm headed to the lick log! Yee Haw!

Dave

PS: Larry, one suggestion for your campaign. Go to the Wednesday and Sunday evening services at the Baptist Church and to the early Sunday service at the Methodist Church, then go to the 10:00 Mass at the Catholic Church. Should help ignite your constitshuncy!

davidbob wrote: Shame on the predatory practices of these Madison Avenue vultures for exploiting the weaknesses of one of modern society's most emotionally vulnerable groups.

Could we truly become a protected class where lawyer jokes are constitutionally banned? But alas I will never make the list. As a lowly public offender I am not a real lawyer. I've even had clients on the stand tell the judge they were going to hire a real lawyer.

Davidbob, explained this "Best of List" scam perfectly.

This scam is not only for lawyers. It happens to other professions as well.

I lost count of the many letters I got during my working career stating I had made their list of best of and asking for several hundreds of dollars for my wall decoration documenting the honor.

Thanks to Davidbob for taking the time to explain this.