Singing Loudly

My task a couple days ago was to write a memo detailing the contours of the legal definition for "abandonment." It is a somewhat important component of a Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) application, as the child needs to be declared dependent on the courts because of "neglect, abuse, or abandonment." Finding the definitions for neglect and abuse are quite easy.

Abandonment was much more difficult. After a few hours of research on Lexis, I finally started to come across some really solid caselaw that helped me to write the memo. By the end of the day, I had a nice shiny memo ready to be turned into my supervisor. I was the last one to leave, so I dropped it in her inbox and skipped out the door feeling accomplished.

Yesterday I was trying to get a hold a lawyer who has dealt with SIJS cases, so that I could get some redacted files. After a few fun rounds of phone tag we got a hold of each other, and I secured some redacted case files. Then I decided to throw out there, "hey, do you know how the courts handle the term "abandonment.""? Of course, he was able to say a better version of what I wrote in my memo along with a few other gems. What took me four hours took about fifteen minutes on the phone.

Lesson: don't research -- just call people who already know.