"At Some Point in Time, Mr. Jimenez, We Are Going to Have to Talk About It."

That's Judge Cooke to TD Bank lawyer Marco Jimenez, over sanctions motion #5 ("I'll have the #5 with egg drop!") which may involve up to 2600 alerts on Scott Rothstein's accounts that may not have been turned over to plaintiff's counsel David Mandel.

Oy.

That brings up a rant -- is it just me, or is there a general erosion in our communal sense of responsibility to perform acts of civility?

I'm not referring specifically to issues such as turning over bad documents, but more generally gestures like opening doors for frail or pregnant women, or helping someone get their carry on baggage above their seat, small acts like that.

We see that often in our interaction with other lawyers, a general trickling-down of incivility that inevitably winds up affecting how you practice or deal with others.

I recently read of a civility project among elected officials:

 In 2009, author Mark DeMoss launched a Civility Project asking every sitting governor and member of Congress to sign a pledge of civility agreeing to three statements: “1. I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior; 2. I will be respectful of others, whether or not I agree with them; and 3. I will stand against incivility when I see it.” Amazingly, only three elected officials signed it—Sen. Joe Lieberman, Rep. Frank Wolf, and Rep. Sue Myrick. 

Funny thing is, I think Joe "The Weeper" Lieberman is mostly a jerk!

In other news, Wargo French has moved into the old Richman Greer space:

Atlanta-based Wargo French launched its Miami office last August, headed by former long-time Greenberg Traurig shareholder Lori Sochin. Ten associates have been hired including Simon Ferro Jr., a former Lewis Tein lawyer.

The 50-lawyer firm, which also has a Los Angeles office, targeted Miami for growth based on client demand, said managing partner Joe Wargo. Wargo French is a full-service law firm focusing on complex commercial litigation, financial services litigation, labor and employment, class action litigation, creditor's rights and bankruptcy, commercial real estate, construction, general corporate and securities law, among other specialties.

Ok, sounds like a good firm and I wish them well, but what a great name -- "Wargo French" -- that's got to be a character from an old Coen Brothers movie?