During the months that followed I called Mr. Pickit several times bur rarely got through. Then, he was out of the office for several months. Finally, five months later, in January, he called to say that the State of Missouri had dropped all charges except $19, which was the rate for a day in the pokey. And, he said, because the case had been so easy, he was refunding all but $250 of my $750 fee.

There it was: just when I thought things could get no stranger, a lawyer with a sense of fair play.

Two months later a check arrived from DeKalb County refunding my bail money -- less $19. A month later, I called Mr. Picket's office to ask about the promised refund. Mr. Picket did not recall that we had pre-paid, but when I told him that we had a receipt scrawled on a Post-It note, he acquiesced. "Oh, yes, that sounds like my style. I'll have the check sent out." It arrived a week later.

Previous  Home  Next