Remembering Doug Daily: Six Days to New Orleans

Doug Daily passed away last night after a brief illness. Doug was many things: passionate and skillful career public defender; patient and thoughtful judge; proud father and grandfather; loving husband; and an incredibly talented musician.

I don't have any photos of the times I spent with him in court, first as opposing counsel, later as an advocate appearing before Judge Daily, but I do have this slideshow, from one of Doug's gigs with his band, Dynamo Jump.

Doug was playing at the Sidecar Cafe in Ventura three years ago this month when I took these photos; the song is from his CD, which I've played many times while writing or driving.

His loss is tragic, for his family, as well as the local legal community.

Lawyers are often a vile, petty, backstabbing bunch of conniving, carping, pettyfogging poltroons, but Doug was the exception to the rule. In a profession where everyone has something bad to say about their colleagues, I don't know that I've ever heard anyone criticize Doug.

I think Doug Daily managed to spend a lifetime in the practice of the law without making any enemies -- an unheard of accomplishment.

Doug and I had a brief conversation about music -- he'd loaned me a guitar to try and learn on ("try" is the operative word), and often encouraged me to keep at it, and I'd purchased a guitar of my own and wanted to tell him about it -- a day or two before he left the courthouse, never to return.

It was the last time we spoke.

This video is how I want to remember him, jamming on his guitar, having a ball, laughing and singing as he entertained himself -- and us, too.

Resquiat in pace.

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[shalynnechiricuzio]

i swear thats my teachers husbend he dieed from cancer