Add RSS RSS

ATL Caption Contest: We Dig This

Saturday, September 19, 2009 8:42 AM - By Kashmir Hill

When we run caption contests here at ATL, we prefer to withhold the back story on the photo. However, this photo, and the story behind it, has gone viral. We’ve gotten it many times in tips — Thanks, tipsters! — and even our non-lawyer friends have been sending it to us.

We’re running a contest anyway, but we’ll give you the back story now… or after the jump rather. Same rules apply as always: Submit possible captions in the comments. We’ll choose our favorites — with preference given to those with a legal bent — and let you vote for the best one.

Here’s the photo of a bunch of legal types:
legal ground breaking.JPG
Think of a great caption. Write it down. Then check out the real and incredibly bizarre caption for this photo after the jump.

This photo is from Texas. The land of 2500 sq ft and a Lex…. huh, who’s that?

One of the guys in the photo is not like the others. See the one on the right in the white hard hat. He wasn’t invited to the ground-breaking party.

From the Austin American-Statesman:

The row of shovel-wielding dignitaries at the groundbreaking for Austin’s new federal courthouse this month included members of Congress, federal judges and others with a hand in planning and funding the $100 million-plus project.

At the end of the row was George Lobb.

It’s not clear how Lobb, a young lawyer who sometimes practices in federal court, got there. But there he was, wearing a gray suit, a hardhat and a wide grin for the cameras.

One of the best parts of this story is that a reporter got this quote from Judge Andy Austin.

“We had an interloper,” said U.S. Magistrate Judge Andy Austin, who said local federal judges were not amused. “It was almost like this Forrest Gump thing.”

“The night after the groundbreaking, I was watching the news and I saw a shot of the group. I was like, ‘What the hell was he doing in there?’” Austin said.

The American-Statesman reporter reached out to Lobb, but he “fell silent” and said he would call the reporter back. He never did.

Lobb, a University of Houston law grad, must have been really excited about the ground-breaking. He brought his own shovel!

Lobb brought his own shovel to the event, which he had painted orange and white, and at one point asked Austin and other judges to sign it.

When Shala Geer-Smith, a spokeswoman for the General Services Administration who was helping organize the event, spotted Lobb with the shovel and in line for the picture, she handed him one of the ceremonial shovels, which were painted gold, Austin said.

“She didn’t know who it was and didn’t want to risk offending him by asking,” Austin said.

When the group lined up for pictures, Lobb took his place to the far right.

Lobb better hope he never has a case before Judge Austin. The judge is not happy with Lobb, who he accused of stealing one of the ceremonial shovels. The Federal Protective Service officials retrieved it.

We think Lobb may have just got caught up in the moment, rather than planning in advance to infiltrate the photo. But it sounds like Lobb’s going to need a mighty big shovel to dig himself out of this one.

A photo crasher at courthouse groundbreaking? [Austin American-Statesman]

(320) Comments
Posted in: Caption Contests, Lawyer of the Day, Pictures

Comments

Comments hidden for your protection. Show them anyway!

Post Your Comment