Act 2: Other Than That - April 24, 2008

The day, other than the day, was fantastic. The day, other than that, was spectacular. Why, in fact, my day was full of joy and happiness, other than that.

I had the last class with Senile Professor. I had my last Stupid Class. I had to deal with that.

I will miss Senile Professor, and his pointless ranting and the numerous side-tracked soliloquies about canes from Saudi Arabia and dumb lawyer jokes. I made it through the last two hours unscathed.

As one could gather, the end of Stupid Class was on my checklist of “Things to Accomplish without Committing a Crime.” I made it to the end, and as I walked out, a shroud of excitement befell my body. Smiles ear to ear.

As the final “good day, lad” to Stupid Class, we were all given slots in which we were to have our final one-on-one meeting with the very smart Stupid Class Professor. The meeting was spent mostly discussing the letter Roommate and I received. As it turns out, Professor worked for a non-profit tenant’s rights organization. She told me that the letter I received was not uncharacteristic of landlord attorneys. She told me that, Landlords and their attorneys think that a letter from a lawyer will scare people into paying their rent or performing other tasks. They are right most of the time. Such a tactic usually yields success for them. However, every once-in-a-while, the tenant is educated in the law or has representation, and that is when the fun occurs.

After telling me that she hopes that it does not interfere with finals, I we quickly discussed some details about the Final. The meeting was concise and to the point. Definitely my style.

Little did I know that more fun was on its way in the hour following our meeting. That is when “It” (where “it” = “that”) happened. I made the call, had my fun, and then went on with my day.

When I arrived at the residence (where an open house will not be occurring), I removed my phone from my pocket and dialed the County Bar Association. I wanted to go fishing. The call was answered by a woman who I very quickly came to appreciate.

“Uh, hi. I do not know with whom I need to speak. I am a law student who has had communications with a local attorney,” I began. “In multiple communications, he threatened to report us to the Bar Association if we did not comply with his client’s demands. I want to ask somebody what I can do, and to see if I am taking the right steps.”

She asked if I had filed a grievance.

I told her that “I had not yet done so,” and did not think I was prepared to just yet. “It may not be something that is at that level, at this point.”

She coaxed more of the story, including the letter and phone call, out of me over the next minutes.

After the abridged version had been told, she said the following, in a matter-of-fact tone:

“I am sending you a grievance form,” she stated. “You need to fill it out and send it back. Now, what is your address?”

Yes ma’am! Alright, consider it done.

I figure that the call was a good sign of things to come. The call gave me the renewed sense that I had handled the situation correctly. That is definitely a solid “pat on the back.” I could use a few more of those.

I find that all the interesting events happen to me. As my Brother said, “We have a problem, you and I. We stand up for ourselves where others wouldn’t. It gets us into trouble. A lot.”

He is definitely correct. However, I would not change that characteristic for any reason. It is something I definitely like about myself.

Last Contracts Class: check!

Last Stupid Class: check!

The Second Coming: No check.

The First Exchange With Legal Counsel: check!

Day of Mr. Bad Attorney Ruined: check!

Tired and Stressed: check, check.