A Conversation with Elizabeth
1998
Lawyers

From:          Elizabeth  
To:            LMixson@PEC.com
Sent:          Friday, July 10, 1998 2:04 PM
Subject:       Lawyers
 
Right now I'm thinking about what you said, "Why would you want to be a lawyer" given the way they act.  Almost three to four weeks ago I sent a second e-mail to the lawyer who was "helping" me in the situation about my sister. I kept waiting for a reply, I got busy, then the holidays came, etc.  Yesterday I wrote him an e-mail again--asking what is the status of our transaction?  You will not believe (yes you will) the answer I got today.  I'll summarize:  "Yes I got your e-mail.  However, in it you said "please advise" but you DID NOT state any questions that I could see, so I didn't write back."  (He didn't say so I didn't write back, but that was obvious.) I would say I was "infuriated" when I read his note, but I don't really get that way usually in terms of getting upset or anything.  However, I keep shaking my head in dis-belief.  The rest of his letter was that it wasn't a case to be taken on contingency (i.e. one he could expect to "win" and so wouldn't charge for, except to take a percentage), that it would cost me $15,000-$20,000 to pursue it, and that I stood about a 50% chance of "winning."  I wrote him back, thanked him for his exchanges, and "courtesies" but then I told him what I felt about his not replying, not rudely, but letting him know that it seemed inappropriate.  How was I to know he wasn't going to write back? 
That is what I asked/told him. I also told him I wondered if I would have from him if I would have had a "contingency" case. 
 
I realize at some level that everything is about money, even when we say it's not.  For example, this hospital say's we are not about money, we are about the mission to heal--I think they even say through the love of Jesus Christ.  But, it's still about money, at some level. 
 
Anyway, that's it.  My sister pulled a real coup--to the tune of about 300,000 all told.  She is out of my life.  I'm writing a will explicitly removing all my family from any monies I might have, and I'm going to leave anything I might have to charity, or maybe the law school, or the hospital foundation.  At least now I can work on putting it away emotionally.
 
I think part of my vacation I may go to Mobile, Alabama for a Health Libraries conference.  In some ways I'm lucky because it's a short conference, just a Thursday and Friday and it happens to fall the week I'm free from school.  Also, the hospital may pay some (I'll have to check) and I saw the program and it looked good. I don't particularly want to go to Mobile, but I'm now trying to see where I might go FROM there--thinking I could swing up to Jackson, Miss and catch the Versailles exhibit the following Saturday. 
 
Anyway, I think I'm going to have to work some at putting this away. 
It's hard to think of my sister taking all my Mother's money and everything else.  I hope she never needs a kidney (ha !)  Elizabeth

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