Scallops and Bacon: A Story of Legal Expertise and a Fisherman’s Plight

By Josie Mastandrea

This particular client was pulled over, he was driving 95 mph on the highway – well above the 5-10 miles per hour most people drive above the speed limit in the Boston area. 

Nonetheless, the numbers make a lot more sense when you hear this client’s story. He’s a commercial scallop fisherman. He goes out on the boat for days, sometimes weeks, at a time. There are plenty of people willing to do this work, so there is no being late to the dock. If you’re late, you’re out. This client is responsible for supporting his family, which includes a wife, a daughter in preschool, and a new dog. He’s built a pleasant life for himself in the suburbs of Boston, but his livelihood depends on being on time. The morning he got that ticket, he was running late. There's never a great excuse for speeding, but that’s a pretty good one.

I know all of this because Chris, the client, and I waited together for about an hour and a half outside the magistrate judge’s courtroom that day. You can really get to know a person in an hour and a half. By the time our case got called, we were comparing photos of our dogs. 

Inside the Courtroom…

Outside the Courthouse…

The client agreed. He was ecstatic as we walked out of the courtroom and later posted a review for Chris, in which he wrote “Chris wasn’t [the] first one I called, but the first one [that was] understanding of my special needs…[Chris] set up an appointment for me right away on a Saturday! (Wow)...When I asked him how much I owe for consulting, he replied that it is nothing to worry about and didn’t want to take anything. (Wow)... Now instead of paying a huge traffic ticket [and] having auto insurance skyrocket I will just complete a driving class. (Wow).” You can read the rest of his review here .

It’s not like Chris hasn’t won a traffic violation hearing before, though, so why have I chosen to tell this particular client’s story? You might remember the text I received early that morning. Well, when we walked out into the parking lot of the courtroom, Chris brought me to his car and handed me what could only have been his child’s lunchbox. Upon opening it, I uncovered 2 packages: one of bacon and one of scallops–straight from the pig and the sea. I looked at Chris, puzzled, before I remembered that this client was a fisherman and Chris smokes his own bacon at home.

“How do you think I’m getting paid?” he asked, with a grin.

We both laughed. I had no complaints, of course, I had scallops for dinner that night.