Lessons Lived and Learned
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Lessons Lived and Learned

“If a job title makes you feel important, then you’d better take a hard look in the mirror.”

– Steven I. Platt, author

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Having served 30 years on the bench in the Maryland court system, Steven I. Platt is a name synonymous with integrity, equity, and dignity. By the same token, he is a man with a contagious sense of humor, curated with a sharp wit. Inescapably intertwined with some of history’s most pivotal events, the author has been aptly dubbed “the Forest Gump of politics.” Capturing his fascinating life, interspersed with well-known historical figures, the author shares his adventures in Lessons Lived and Learned: My Life On and Off the Bench.

Lessons Lived serves as a historical account of the growth and transformation of Maryland politics and its judiciary over a 40-year period.

The author retired in 2007 after an illustrious 30-year career as a jurist in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He then founded The Platt Group, which provides mediation, arbitration, and neutral case evaluation of complex civil litigation. He continues to participate as a jurist in “senior judge” status, which allows him to be recalled to hear cases.

  • PART ONE: My Foray into the World of Politics
  • Chapter 1: A Democrat at Heart: Mountain Republicans, Two Assassinations, and a Thing Called the “Byrd Machine”
  • Chapter 2: The Political Scene in Maryland (1966–1986)—A User’s Manual
  • Chapter 3: The Battle of College Park
  • Chapter 4: Idealists, Rogues, and Scoundrels in Maryland Politics
  • PART TWO: Maryland Politics: Establishing a Foothold
  • Chapter 5: Establishing Human Relations Within the Human Relations Commission
  • Chapter 6: Counsel to the Maryland Democratic Party
  • PART THREE: Hanging Out a Shingle: My Days as an Attorney
  • Chapter 7: The Case of “You Get Your Way at Ourisman Chevrolet”
  • Chapter 8: The Case of “the Vice President in Charge of Personnel”
  • PART FOUR: Donning the Robe: My Days on the Bench
  • Chapter 9: The Orphans’ Court: A Valuable Lesson, an Emperor, and a Promiscuous Prescription
  • Chapter 10: Becoming a District Court Judge: From “Unknown” to “Most Qualified” in Less than 90 Days
  • Chapter 11: Serving on the District Court Bench: Freedom Court, a Bail Bond Industry Uproar, and 36 Drunks
  • Chapter 12: The Making of a Circuit Court Judge: One of “Those Guys,” a Political Network, and Burgers & Beer
  • PART FIVE: The State of Criminal Justice in Maryland
  • Chapter 13: Criminal Justice – 1990s Style
  • Chapter 14: Murderer’s Row
  • PART SIX: The Civil Docket
  • Chapter 15: Civil Justice Served in Prince George’s County, Maryland: Family Law Division and Reform
  • Chapter 16: Foreclosure Fraud
  • Chapter 17: The Little Girl with 25 Personalities
  • Chapter 18: The Drug Court Experiment
  • Chapter 19: A New Case Management Program, Class-Action Fees, and the Management of Other Judges
  • Chapter 20: Time Marches On (Transitioning Off the Bench … and Then Some)
  • PART SEVEN: Thriving as a Professional Mediator and Arbitrator
  • Chapter 21: The Rise of ADR
  • Chapter 22: Corruption: Make It Go Away!
  • Chapter 23: The Police Brutality Cases
  • PART EIGHT: Comic Relief
  • Chapter 24: Jury Duty for the Judge (PTSD for Defendant)
  • Chapter 25: Everyone Needs a Hero
  • Chapter 26: Contempt – An Elusive Concept
  • Chapter 27: The Wizard of Oz Effect in Mediation
  • Chapter 28: Strippers versus Strip Club (In the Mood?)
  • Chapter 29: The Tiki Bar Grand Opening Cases (Be Careful What You Ask For – You Might Get It – Then What?)
  • Chapter 30: ATTENTION, Shoppers! Sears & Roebuck of America v. Judge Steven I. Platt

Lessons Lived and Learned: My Life On and Off the Bench

338 pp.

ISBN 978-1-7351462-6-3 PAPERBACK

ISBN 978-1-7351462-7-0 EBOOK

ISBN 978-1-7351462-8-7 HARD COVER

FOREWORD BY: RON BERGMAN

PUBLISHER: RAMSES HOUSE PUBLISHING LLC

EDITED BY: TATIA GORDON-TROY

PAPERBACK: $21.99

HARD COVER: $29.99

EBOOK: $15.99