Longtime Court Administrator Turns to Judging, Learns Lawyers Are Obsequious
At 64 years of age, Ann Pfau has switched focus.
After working in court administration since her graduation from law school, Pfau stepped down in December from her job as New York State’s chief administrative judge. Now, for the first time in her career, Pfau is trying cases, working as a judge in Brooklyn, the New York Times reports.
Pfau tells the newspaper she is learning about the new job after sitting with other judges, asking a lot of questions, and trying some cases. Here is a sampling of what she has learned:
• Lawyers exhibit obsequious behavior, laughing at her comments though she has never been funny. “Every other word is ‘Your Honor,’ ” Pfau tells the newspaper. “Or, ‘We’re so honored to have you as our judge.’ I assume they think they’re being slick.”
• Judges need to appear confident. “Every judge says that to me: ‘Pretend you know more than you know,’ ” Pfau says. “ ‘Don’t let them see you sweat.’ ”
• Judges need poker faces. “You can’t let your facial expressions show if you think it’s the stupidest question ever asked,” Pfau says.
