Browsed by
Author: Paul Luvera

Plaintiff trial lawyer for 50 years. Past President of the Inner Circle of Advocates & Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. Member American Board of Trial Advocates, American College of Trial Lawyers, International Academy, International Society of Barristers, the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame & speaker at Spence Trial College
THE UNITED STATES, A NATION OF PEACE

THE UNITED STATES, A NATION OF PEACE

  President Obama has asked Congress on Wednesday to authorize the use  of military force  against ISIS. It made me reflect on how much armed conflict involving the United States that has taken place since my birth 80 years ago in 1935. It is a staggering list for a nation dedicated to peaceful co-existence. To start with, our military is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world, with over 160,000 of our active-duty personnel serving outside the United…

Read More Read More

DR DEXTER JOHNSON & BILL BANNISTER

DR DEXTER JOHNSON & BILL BANNISTER

My life has been a series of fortunate relationships which have contributed to who I am today. Two people who died in February were part of my past relationships who deserve acknowledgement. Dr. Dexter Johnson was an internationally recognized radiologist born December 6, 1931 and died February 4, 2003. He graduated from the University of Washington medical school. He began as a general practice physician in Lynden plus residency time on the medical staff at the old  State mental hospital in Sedro…

Read More Read More

WILLIAM “BILL” TAYLOR LEGENDARY ANACORTES BASKETBALL COACH

WILLIAM “BILL” TAYLOR LEGENDARY ANACORTES BASKETBALL COACH

William "Bill" Taylor was one of Anacortes most successful basketball coaches. He also was a positive influence in so many young men's lives, including mine.  Today, January 24th, is the annversary of the death of a great coach and mentor to me, William Taylor. I've published a full account of my high school relationship to this great coach and his profound influence in my life: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/01/william-taylor.html . In addition, I published a background of this unique man who was so important in guiding…

Read More Read More

SCIENCE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LEARN IN HIGHSCHOOL

SCIENCE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LEARN IN HIGHSCHOOL

Lita and I spent a great week in Hawaii last week before she has knee replacement in early February. I had a chance to do a lot of reading and one book I enjoyed was "A Short Hstory of Nearly Eerything by Bill Bryson. It covered science from universe to the ocean and the world of atoms. Here are some random passages which were impressive to me. You can summarize the scientific knowledge by saying our earth is estimated to be…

Read More Read More

PHYLLIS ENNES LUVERA 1928 – 2013

PHYLLIS ENNES LUVERA 1928 – 2013

My sister Phyllis Ennes died on January 7, 2013. She was the oldest of the three children with Anita Mayer in the middle and I as the youngest. For my previous post about Phyllis see  https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/01/phyllis-luvera-ennes-1928-2013.htm  Born to Paul and Mary Luvera in Anacortes she graduated from Anacortes High School in 1946 with honors and attended the University of Washington where hs obtained a degree in English. In 1953, the year I graduated from high school, she earned a teaching certicate from Western…

Read More Read More

NEW YEAR 2015 REFLECTIONS ABOUT BECOMING A PLAINTIFF’S TRIAL LAWYER

NEW YEAR 2015 REFLECTIONS ABOUT BECOMING A PLAINTIFF’S TRIAL LAWYER

I have written in the past about people who have played a significant role in my life and to whom I am indebted. https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2010/01/william-h-taylor-anacortes-coach-and-mentor.html.html  There have also been significant events that played a major role in my development as a trial lawyer. 2015 seems like an appropriate time to reflect upon my good fortune in this regard. I have had a lot of fortunate events in my life but some are particularly noteworthy. Through a series of lucky circumstances I somehow ended up…

Read More Read More

MERRY CHRISTMAS – The Gift of the Magi

MERRY CHRISTMAS – The Gift of the Magi

A Merry Christmas to all.  My gift to  you is a short story by a famous writer.  William Sidney Porter was a famous short story writer who wrote under the pen name O. Henry. One of his famous stories was "The Gift of the Magi," a Christmas story. I'm sure you have read  it sometime in the past, but I think you will enjoy it again. Porter was born in 1862 in North Carolina. He worked at the First National Bank of Austin. In 1894 he was accused by…

Read More Read More

REMEMBERING FRIENDS & FAMILY WHO DIED IN DECEMBER : Nick Petrish, Elizabeth Barnett & Fillipa Luvera

REMEMBERING FRIENDS & FAMILY WHO DIED IN DECEMBER : Nick Petrish, Elizabeth Barnett & Fillipa Luvera

NICK PETRISH   1937 – 12/19/2011 Nick  Petrish died in Anacortes on December 19, 2011. We had a long friendship. We went from grade school through high school together.We worked together from 1977 until his illness in 2011. He was a friend and a good man. I’ve written about him previously: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2012/12/nicholas-petrish-dec-19-2011.html.html    PHYLLIS FLIPPA LUVERA  1870 – 1946 My dad’s mother died December 20, 1946 in Anacortes. She was an Italian grandmother who looked and sounded like what an Italian grandmother should. she spoke…

Read More Read More

THE BAND SONS OF THUNDER & SAM KINISON

THE BAND SONS OF THUNDER & SAM KINISON

In November of 2009 I published a short post  in this blog about the death of Sam Kinison, the comedian, entitled “The Strange Death of Sam Kinison” https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2009/11/the-strange-death-of-sam-kinison.html   For reasons I do not understand that post five years ago has produced more comment than any other thing I have written about. Not only that, there is controversy in the comments from readers with strong views in his favor and others very critical of him as well. He was controversial in…

Read More Read More

THE NEW YORK POLICE & “I can’t breathe”

THE NEW YORK POLICE & “I can’t breathe”

By now everyone knows a New York state grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to file any criminal charges against the white police officer applying a neck hold and the other police involved in the arrest of a black man that resulted in his death. While the media has spent it's time focused on talking about the grand jury's failure to indict and the "guilt or innocence" of the white police officer or officers, it is more complicated than that. Everyone has a…

Read More Read More