Mark Darrah's Blog - Posts Tagged "law"
The Navy Blazer
In 1975, John T. Molloy wrote Dress for Success which advised men how to choose and wear clothes to succeed in their chosen professions and in the corporate world. A book for women followed two years later. Both became best-sellers. When law students started thinking about interviewing for jobs, they read the results of Molloy's studies and followed his suggestions.
When I graduated from law school in 1982, I bought a gray pinstripe suit, a dark blue suit, and a navy blazer with two sets of trousers. I owned an Ivy League tie and several silk ones -- some striped, others conservatively patterned. Mr. Molloy would have approved.
I looked like most other young male attorneys of the day.
The insurance defense law firm where I worked represented a major insulation manufacturer in asbestos litigation in all courts sitting in Oklahoma. Asbestos, that platypus of the mineral world, is a stone but is fibrous like a plant. Durable and resistant to fire and heat, asbestos proved to be a versatile building material, most commonly used as fireproof insulation. In the post-World War II construction boom, the use of asbestos became ubiquitous.
Asbestos turned out to be far less than ideal. It is toxic. Prolonged exposure to its micro-particles can lead to asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. Tiny fibers lodge in one's lungs and trigger a chronic inflammatory process that often results in chronic obstructive lung disease, cancer, and death. Years pass before symptoms develop. By the early 1980's, vast numbers of those involved in the building trades had become ill or died.
Mass tort claims were not consolidated for discovery or trial then as they are now. Each party claiming injury or death separately sued the ten or twelve major producers of asbestos and related products. One defense attorney would take a sworn statement -- a deposition -- from each injured party. Young associate lawyers attended for the other defendants and asked few questions. It seemed like everyone had an asbestos claim, and the hard-edged skepticism that well serves attorneys often descended into dark cynicism.
One early summer afternoon, I gathered with other lawyers for the deposition of an asbestos widow in the conference room of an Oklahoma City attorney. Mrs. Jones was in her mid-fifties and had the ash blond hair of a Breck model. Except for the court reporter, she was the only female in the room. The lead defense counsel began his bloodless inquiry. I looked around and realized every attorney there wore a navy blazer or had one hanging on the coat rack in the corner.
Tears began to roll down Mrs. Jones' face when asked the date of her marriage to her late husband. More tears fell when questioned about his children. When asked the date of his death, Mrs. Jones wept with the heartbreak of only those who have truly loved.
The lead attorney stopped his rote questions and took a break. Not one of us gathered lawyers showed this woman any compassion. Not one. When the deposition concluded, I found my navy blazer among the others on the coat rack and drove back to Tulsa.
That jacket was put on a few more times and then set aside.
I haven't worn a navy blazer since.
Mark Darrah
May 21, 2016
Originally published "The Oklahoma Bar Journal" Vol. 87, No. 14 http://www.okbar.org/members/BarJourn...
When I graduated from law school in 1982, I bought a gray pinstripe suit, a dark blue suit, and a navy blazer with two sets of trousers. I owned an Ivy League tie and several silk ones -- some striped, others conservatively patterned. Mr. Molloy would have approved.
I looked like most other young male attorneys of the day.
The insurance defense law firm where I worked represented a major insulation manufacturer in asbestos litigation in all courts sitting in Oklahoma. Asbestos, that platypus of the mineral world, is a stone but is fibrous like a plant. Durable and resistant to fire and heat, asbestos proved to be a versatile building material, most commonly used as fireproof insulation. In the post-World War II construction boom, the use of asbestos became ubiquitous.
Asbestos turned out to be far less than ideal. It is toxic. Prolonged exposure to its micro-particles can lead to asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. Tiny fibers lodge in one's lungs and trigger a chronic inflammatory process that often results in chronic obstructive lung disease, cancer, and death. Years pass before symptoms develop. By the early 1980's, vast numbers of those involved in the building trades had become ill or died.
Mass tort claims were not consolidated for discovery or trial then as they are now. Each party claiming injury or death separately sued the ten or twelve major producers of asbestos and related products. One defense attorney would take a sworn statement -- a deposition -- from each injured party. Young associate lawyers attended for the other defendants and asked few questions. It seemed like everyone had an asbestos claim, and the hard-edged skepticism that well serves attorneys often descended into dark cynicism.
One early summer afternoon, I gathered with other lawyers for the deposition of an asbestos widow in the conference room of an Oklahoma City attorney. Mrs. Jones was in her mid-fifties and had the ash blond hair of a Breck model. Except for the court reporter, she was the only female in the room. The lead defense counsel began his bloodless inquiry. I looked around and realized every attorney there wore a navy blazer or had one hanging on the coat rack in the corner.
Tears began to roll down Mrs. Jones' face when asked the date of her marriage to her late husband. More tears fell when questioned about his children. When asked the date of his death, Mrs. Jones wept with the heartbreak of only those who have truly loved.
The lead attorney stopped his rote questions and took a break. Not one of us gathered lawyers showed this woman any compassion. Not one. When the deposition concluded, I found my navy blazer among the others on the coat rack and drove back to Tulsa.
That jacket was put on a few more times and then set aside.
I haven't worn a navy blazer since.
Mark Darrah
May 21, 2016
Originally published "The Oklahoma Bar Journal" Vol. 87, No. 14 http://www.okbar.org/members/BarJourn...
