by
DON
EMMERT/AFP
via
Getty
Images)
Is
anyone
else
outraged
about
the
$1.776
billion
slush
fund
for
Trump’s
cronies
aka
supporters
that
is
coming
out
of
our
tax
dollars?
How
do
we
say
“no
way”?
Time
for
another
Tea
Party
revolt?
Not
the
one
in
2010
but
the
original
one
in
Boston
in
1773.
My
ATL
colleagues
are
similarly
outraged
as
every
taxpayer
should
be.
Steven
Chung’s
analysis
lays
out
the
the
details
of
the
Trump
lawsuit,
the
settlement,
and
why
Trump
has
access
to
the
government
judgment
fund.
Remember
how
Stephen
Colbert
characterized
the
“settlement”
by
Paramount
over
Trump’s
lawsuit
against
the
CBS
network’s
“60
Minutes”
as
a
“big
fat
bribe”?
How
about
characterizing
this
latest
money
grab
for
Trump’s
cronies
and
followers
as
a
“big
fat
theft”?
This
latest
Trump
foray
into
litigation
land
puts
both
the
Teapot
Dome
scandal
of
the
1920s
and
Watergate
in
the
1970s
to
shame.
Both
those
scandals
were
in
Republican
administrations,
first
Warren
Harding
in
the
1920s
and
Richard
Nixon
in
the
1970s,
and
now
Trump.
Three
for
three.
Res
ipsa
loquitur.
Time
for
another
Boston
Tea
Party?
Given
that
this
year
is
the
250th
anniversary
of
the
American
Revolution,
that
may
be
appropriate.
Hopefully,
there
will
be
a
lot
of
taxpayer
lawsuits
ahead.
We
can
only
hope.
Meanwhile,
the
world
continues
to
turn,
burn,
or
churn.
Choose
a
verb.
With
the
general
bar
exam
just
about
two
months
away,
after
the
graduations,
parties,
and
other
celebrations,
it
will
be
time
to
hunker
time
and
study,
trying
to
cram
in
all
the
material
necessary
to
pass.
The
goal
is
to
pass
the
first
time.
What
kind
of
confidence
should
you
have
in
order
to
prepare
for
that
exam
that
is
the
start
of
your
professional
future?
For
many
people,
studying
for
the
bar
is
a
full-time
job.
It’s
reviewing
the
bar
tested
subjects
over
and
over
again
(rinse
and
repeat),
taking
practice
exams
after
practice
exams
ad
nauseam,
ditto
multistate
(or,
as
I
prefer
to
call
it,
multiguess.)
It’s
taking
a
bar
review
course.
It’s
studying
almost
nonstop.
This
is
the
chance
to
make
it
to
the
other
side,
from
law
student
to
practicing
attorney.
There
are
many
peeps
who
didn’t
pass
the
bar
the
first
time
who
went
on
to
very
successful
legal
careers.
But
the
delay
means
added
expense,
added
time,
and
usually
the
start
of
repaying
whatever
student
loans
are
out
there.
By
the
way,
the
California
State
Bar
Board
of
Trustees
is
recommending
the
implementation
of
the
Next
Gen
Uniform
Bar
Exam
in
2028
and
the
addition
of
a
California
component
as
soon
as
practicable
after
the
statutorily
required
two-year
notice.
What
will
comprise
that
California
component?
That’s
up
to
the
State
Supreme
Court
to
advise
as
to
what
subjects
and
skills
should
be
tested.
How
confident
should
you
be
going
into
the
bar
exam?
Confidence
can
range
from
a
negative
number
(what
I
had
all
those
years
ago)
to
what
Michael
Milken
(the
junk
bond
king
of
the
1980s)
called
“highly
confident.”
There
is
now
a
new
type
of
confidence: “toxic
confidence.”
Although
it
may
not
have
been
called
that,
toxic
confidence
has
been
around
as
long
as
there
have
been
lawyers.
Remember
the
old
days
of
self-effacement,
self-deprecation,
and
making
sure
that
everyone
involved
gets
a
share
of
the
credit
for
whatever?
Those
days
are
so
pre-2016.
Everywhere
you
look,
there
are
lawyers
(and
others)
who
gladly
embrace
being
numero
uno.
It’s
gone
way
beyond
marketing.
At
the
conclusion
of
the
classic
noir
movie,
“White
Heat,”
James
Cagney
says
that
he
is
on
top
of
the
world.
(And
if
you
have
never
seen
this
classic,
add
it
to
your
streaming
queue.)
Toxic
confidence
is
expertise
on
LinkedIn,
but
is
it
really
expertise?
It’s
often
the
belief
in
supreme
self-confidence.
The
issue
is
to
what
extent
ego
creates
a
level
of
unwarranted
confidence
that
can
play
havoc
with
a
healthy
dose
of
trepidation.
Just
as
no
one
knows
what
a
judge
or
jury
is
going
to
do,
the
same
holds
true
for
the
bar
exam.
Be
prepared,
but
not
overconfident.
Jill
Switzer
has
been
an
active
member
of
the
State
Bar
of
California
for
over
40
years.
She
remembers
practicing
law
in
a
kinder,
gentler
time.
She’s
had
a
diverse
legal
career,
including
stints
as
a
deputy
district
attorney,
a
solo
practice,
and
several
senior
in-house
gigs.
She
now
mediates
full-time,
which
gives
her
the
opportunity
to
see
dinosaurs,
millennials,
and
those
in-between
interact
—
it’s
not
always
civil.
You
can
reach
her
by
email
at [email protected].