Covering Up the ‘Dfect’

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Having worked for decades as a construction attorney, Robert S. Mann thinks he knows a thing or two about minimizing errors. So much so that he wrote a book, “Defect-Free Buildings,” on the topic.

Mann, 59, has represented everyone from Dodgers owner Frank McCourt to Guess Inc. co-CEO Maurice Marciano on construction matters. The proud author spent about $1,000 on preorders to share his book with friends and family. But when he saw the final product, he found a rather embarrassing defect on the spine: The title of the book reads “Dfect-Free Buildings.”

“I just think it’s hysterical,” said Mann. “It’s a perfect example of how easy it is to make a mistake, which is in part a subject of the book itself.”

He contacted the publisher, which apologized and decided to cover the mistake with a sticker that reads “Defect.” To this day, a sticker comes on the spine of every copy, a reminder that even the savviest of experts aren’t “defect-free.”

Lawyer Music

Gary Greene celebrated the holidays in musical style when his Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic played three concerts in a single day.

Greene, a lawyer with offices in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, launched the orchestra in 2009 after he met a trumpet-playing judge. The group has 75 members, and each volunteer musician must be an attorney, judge, legal assistant or law student.

During its three-year existence, the group has played 30 concerts. Its biggest day was Dec. 17, playing twice at Exposition Park for underprivileged children and then in the evening at its annual holiday concert at Wilshire United Methodist Church.

“From Mozart to Duke Ellington, we play everything,” said Greene.

While recruiting attorneys to join, he discovered that many have studied music at top schools including Juilliard and the New England Conservatory.

“They all say that they wanted to be professional musicians but they had to make a living so they went to law school,” he said. “Now that we are in a profession that has a lot of deadlines and pressure, music provides the perfect change of pace.”

Greene, 62, also conducts the Jr. Philharmonic Orchestra, a non-profit youth orchestra founded 75 years ago by his late, uncle. He limits his law career to workday hours to devote his evenings to music.

“Fortunately, I don’t require a lot of sleep,” he said. “I often work on music until 2 or 3 in the morning.”

Staff reporters Alfred Lee and Joel Russell contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].

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