Another First Monday in October

We've arrived at another first Monday in October and the United States Supreme Court is back in session. I always look forward to their decisions as they give me lots to talk about here.

This October also marks the first anniversary of my having opened this office in Lebanon. It's been quite a year. I have to say that I am pleased with the progress I made this first year. The office is operating on a paying basis and it is getting close to being able to sustain an expansion - hiring a staff member to assist me with office chores (something I hardly ever assign to my paralegal).

I have an interesting mix of cases. There is the defamation suit (breakup ad in the newspaper that escaped onto the internet); two cases related to torts committed against kids on school buses; the murder conspiracy case that has been in the national press. And last week I took in a criminal case in Cannon County concerning alleged accessing of pornography over the internet. That case is interesting because it concerns a corporation set up by the federal government that monitors internet activity (chat rooms and the like) and has agreements (apparently) with AOL and many other ISP's who will give tips if certain types of pornography are attached to private e-mail. They do this without warrants (using what they find as the basis for obtaining further warrants), which they say they do not require because they are not government agents. It will be interesting to test that position.

These cases, together with the normal small criminal and civil matters that are the day to day revenue producers of any small law office, made the first year here successful. I look forward each day to more cases and more challenges.

~Tim