The Legal World and Onions

by Maddy Rose, Paralegal Zampogna, P.C.

 

I tried out a new recipe the other day that called for two thinly sliced sweet onions. My eyes started watering about halfway through slicing the first onion. Since I was hungry, I stubbornly continued onion slicing despite the fact that my eyes were running and my vision was blurry.

 

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror right afterwards. My mascara had run all the way down my face. I looked like I had just been crying my eyes out because of some tragedy, but in all actuality, I just chopped onions for my dinner that night.

 

Onions and legal disputes have that in common—they bring many people to tears. The other day, I witnessed a client cry right in front of me. I am the type of person who never cries in front of anyone, so I was flabbergasted that someone was so publicly affected. 

Our client’s emotional outburst was mostly due to the fact that this particular client tried to handle the problem at first without a lawyer. This had gotten the client into a giant mess, which had provoked the tears. 

When I mentioned it to Mr. Zampogna later, he was completely un-phased and responded: “That happens all the time.” He explained to me that in the practice of law, it is not uncommon to have clients bring emotions with them into the office.  I have found this to be particularly true, especially because Zampogna, P.C. is so dedicated to one-on-one client contact.

Even though many legal cases seem simple and void of emotion on the surface, sometimes, this statement cannot be further from the truth. The legal world, just like chopping onions, brings some of the most stoic individuals to tears. However, sometimes the pain is a necessary evil one must undergo to obtain a successful outcome in a case. The same is true for onions—you’ve got to endure the tears to get the perfect flavor for the dish you’re cooking.

 Would my recipe have tasted just as good without onions?

Maybe, but I doubt it. 

Would our client’s case have been resolved without any tears being shed?

Yes. However, I found that I personally more motivated to work faster and harder to obtain a resolution, after seeing how much the situation was affecting our client. 

 In summary, I am happy to report that we successfully fixed the client’s issue AND my recipe turned out to taste absolutely superb. It was a Beef Stir Fry with Avocado Salad.

 

Let Zampogna, P.C. slice and dice the onions for your guacamole, so that you don’t have to ruin your makeup. [I promise that when I’m on the clock I don’t wear mascara—and neither does Mr. Z (obviously!)]