by Traverse Legal, reviewed by Enrico Schaefer - April 1, 2006 - Uncategorized
Yes, it is true. You may have seen it posted around the blogosphere already. So before the tidal wave of controversy begins, I want to explain to you the reader why I did what I did.
My name is Ryan Fielders from Dayton Ohio. I am 18 years old and dropped out of West Carrollton High School last year. I had always planned on being a lawyer but knew that was not going to happen. I had a lot of time on my hands and knew that the blogosphere gave me an opportunity to be one for real. So I thought "What the heck?" If people will listen to me, then why not pretend? If I can make a difference without going to law school, then why not do it. I knew I had to be anonymous and keep my identity secret but that was the easy part in the wonderful world of the blogosphere.
A reporter asked me why I did it? My parents were both lawyers so I understood the basics. They were both innovative lawyers who were focused on changing the legal profession.. I also had first hand experience with the legal profession after my parents passed away. I was involved in some rather ugly litigation through my teen years as my brothers and sisters fought over my parents estate after they passed away. I saw all the problems with the legal system. My parents estate was worth over $15 million. An 14 year old boy came out of the woodwork when my parents passed claiming his share of the estate.
Our fancy big law lawyers were impressive in stature. But we never really understood what was going on. They kept us in the dark and told us and our conservators and gaurdians what to do. We paid over $1.3 million dollars in legal fees to attorneys who never cared about much of anything except billing us time. I have a stack of legal bills which is over three feet tall. Needless to say, the outcome of the case was not much different than if there had been no litigation in the first place. Our lawyers kept us in the dark about what they were doing and why they were doing it. We might as well have given him that money up front and spared ourselves the aggravation. Yes, it turned out his claim was legitimate and we ended up paying him more than we would have if our lawyers had given us good advice in the first place.
I am proud to have inspired so many lawyers this last year to ‘think out of the box.’ The fact that it was all made up does not change the fact that there is a need to change the system. Nor does it change the fact that more lawyers need to stand up and demand change. Yes, I am sorry to have deceived my readers but I have no regret for all the positive things that have come from this blog effort. My parents woudl have beenproud. GAL
As a founding partner of Traverse Legal, PLC, he has more than thirty years of experience as an attorney for both established companies and emerging start-ups. His extensive experience includes navigating technology law matters and complex litigation throughout the United States.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Enrico Schaefer, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a practicing Business, IP, and Technology Law litigation attorney.
