Law & Order

One of the myriad hats we Parts & Service Zone Managers wear is to represent Ford in mediations, depositions, and - in rare cases - trials wherein Ford is being sued. I love my job because it is never the same from one day - even one hour! - to the next. This is a part of the ever-changing job description that has been slowly going to other providers, or simply not happening at all, and had not been something I had experienced.

Until today!

Our mediation wasn't until 8:30, but I was so nervous about being late for my first ever court case (I sound like the little kid I felt like when I was sitting in the long hall with the mismatched benches watching a strange assortment of people walk by) that I arrived at 7:30 am. The Denver Courthouse is a beautiful, grand old building sitting across two large parks from the Denver Capitol building. I was happily surprised that this was the place I was in, and took the extra time I had to explore.

I'm sure that the prep for mediations and the like is not fun. But what is fun is the fact that I don't have to do ANY of that! I just get to sit in on the exciting part: the court! It was unlike anything I've ever experienced, and definitely wasn't what I expected. But between being bullied by the judge mediator, being intimidated by how much of a clue I didn't have as to what was going on (and when to stand for that matter!), and channeling utter disbelief at peoples' incessant ability to try to stick it to large companies in general when they deserve nothing from them, it could've been a beating of a morning.

I had the time of my life! For three hours, I was Ford Motor Company. It was up to me what we chose to offer, what we chose to take, and how we chose to move forward in the proceedings. And our lawyer was awesome! We both looked like kids sitting in the courtroom. But in the end, it was just like one of those made-for-TV movies where the little guys win. And we were little! The whole corporate thing notwithstanding. But we overcame the angry objections of the judge mediator, despite both our uncertainties, and we stuck to our guns, however young they might've been, which resulted in a surprise acceptance of our final offer, of which we were both very proud.

When the mediator went back in with the plaintiff (oh yeah, I busted that out), and we were left on our own, I looked at our lawyer, he looked at me, and we both grinned. And then, I did a little dance. Don't worry - no one else saw.

I win!

The Outlaw Jimmy Rose by BM Linx