Lance Allen, the star of an article that I had a lot of fun writing this week. The extended anecdotal lead:
Every weekday afternoon, a few minutes before the judge enters, Lance Allen stands in front of Reno Small Claims Court.
He smiles, takes a breath and then addresses the people gathered in the courtroom.
On Thursday, two couples are in court to resolve a dispute over fencing between their adjoined properties, two men have come to settle a debt disagreement, and one woman came to collect a missed payment.
After introducing himself, Allen gets to the point. You don’t have to see the judge if you don’t want to, he tells the litigants. Instead, you can come with me and try to resolve the dispute on your own through a court-sponsored mediation program.
