another Craig

I recently scored big!  I received a check for a class action settlement with ebay motors, the internet auction site.  Definitely made my day!  How much, you ask?  A whopping $0.56!  Yes, a check arrived through the U.S. Postal Service for the staggering sum of 56 cents.  How does this relate to the title of this post?  Let me explain.  A while back I expounded on the scandalous system of settling the legal aspects of automobile accident claims.  Although not quite blatantly stated, I have no use for lawyers.  In my opinion 99% of them are disreputable, arrogant and incompetent.  And that is being nice!  Anyway, when I received my life altering settlement check from ebay motors, the first question to enter my mind was: I wonder how much the lawyer(s) for this case received?  I would not be at all surprised if their take was in the millions of dollars.  And I get 56 cents!  Now, you may not agree, but I view this as ridiculous!  And sadly, I believe this to be typical of the legal system.  Note that I do not call it the "justice system".  I have long since given up on any real justice with anything to do with lawyers.  Just thinking about it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  So, again you ask "what does this have to do with Craig"?  I once had a friend named Craig.  No, this is a different Craig then last time.  I wonder if it's something to do with the name "Craig"?  Anyway, Craig and I were very good friends for years.  Then Craig decided to attend law school.  It all went downhill from there!  About the end of Craig's first year in school, he and his daughter met my son, my wife and I for some camping in Colorado.  This was the time I was going hot and heavy with the lawyers from Department of Labor for my disability benefits.  I was thoroughly frustrated with the lack of cooperation I was facing.  For example, I had an appeal hearing to settle a disagreement we had with my medical status.  I prepared an elaborate statement summarizing my case in which I quoted liberally from their "gold standard", the AMA guide for long term disability.  In my statement I gave location of the quotes cited by page, paragraph and sentence number.  I really believed I could not be more concise.  Their response?  They came back saying those quotes were not there!  Now, I ask how can one deny a quote when the exact location is provided?  The arrogance of their attorneys did not help my opinion of the profession.  So, when Craig and I made the mistake of talking about lawyers and the legal profession, it did not end well.  When he tried to justify the methods commonly used by his peers, I lost it.  All the frustration and anger that had been building up in me for the several years I had been dealing with the DOL just came out.  We really had such differing views on the system that we could not maintain our friendship, especially since it would be a major part of his life.  So, sad to say, he left the next morning and we have not talked since.  Never in my life have I felt such frustration as when we tried to express our beliefs.  To this day I feel sad over the loss of my friend, but to this day I do not believe that that friendship could be rekindled.  I lost all respect for my friend that day.  There are few things I have ever felt such passion about.  Felt it then, still feel it today.  Sad.