Law and Magic Blog

Richard Bloch, Lawyer/Arbitrator/Magician

In an earlier post, I mentioned Richard Bloch, an NLRB arbitrator, who is perhaps best known as the fellow who settled the flap between Terrell Owens and the Philadelphia Eagles a couple of seasons ago. That's for people who watch pro football. For people who don't, except for the occasional game, like me, when the fellow I'm really into is really into a particular rivalry, Terrell Owens is the guy into whose arms Nicollette Sheridan jumped in that steamy ad for Desperate Housewives back in 2004. But in another life Rich Bloch is also a magician, and that double life allows writers about his arbitration work to weave lots of magical metaphors into commentary about his work. Here's an example from ESPN's Len Pasquarelli. If you want your news straight, here's an interview from National Public Radio's Justice Talking Radio in Print conducted by Erin Mooney with Mr. Bloch. According to a November 18, 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer article by David Aldridge, Mr. Bloch graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. He apparently collects magic memorabilia and illusions. He is married to Georgetown Law prof Susan Low Bloch.

Jerry Lazar, Not a Lawyer/Magician! Poof! He's an Arbitrator/Magician!

I sit corrected. Jerry Lazar is a mediator/magician! Still, he uses his skills in magic to assist him in his "other day job."I have to add a new category to my list.  Hmmm. We'll just call him an arbitrator/magician, and put Richard Bloch, the NLRB arbitrator/magician in there with him. How is that?

Thanks to Victoria Pynchon for clarifying the record.

Magician/Mediator Jerry Lazar

Jerry Lazar, a Southern California mediator, is also a magician. He uses all his skills to promote good outcomes in his practice. Victoria Pynchon writes about Mr. Lazar and his work in a piece that first appeared in a publication of the Southern California Mediation Association. Read more about mediation and magic in a post by Victoria Pynchon at the IP/ADR Blog.

[When I published this post originally on October 10, I indexed it under Lawyer Magicians. As Ms. Pynchon pointed out in her comment, Mr. Lazar isn't a lawyer. I feel constrained to change the indexing. I've also decided to change the title and some of the content. Otherwise, the indexing wouldn't make sense. In any case, Mr. Lazar is an interesting addition to our collection of magician/law-related acquaintances].

[Updated October 19, 2010 to eliminate broken links].