Morrison’s Clepsydra Awards

Clepsydra means the measurement of time by the continuous flow of water, a level of technology and practice that Chinese horology never advanced beyond, J. of Historical Soc., Vol. 6, March 2006 at 77. Here are some of my memories of the long-ago to start your reveries. What are your nominations for old-school, clepsydra practices in law departments?

Steno dictation; thermofax; carbon copies; “for services rendered”; a single bill at the end of the year; partners on the Board who practice at a firm hired by the company; sprocket-wheel printers; no voice mail; wet tee shirt contests (no women!); $20 croissant charged by outside counsel (“Skaddenomics”); wafer-thin Sheppards supplements; red-line pens; lawyers answering telephones; no cell phones or PDAs; no yellow sticky notes…