I have known Bloodfyre for a very long time. When I first stepped into the role of Deputy Grand Master under Firefox, Bloodfyre was the existing Praetor and, in what turned out to be an excellent decision, I kept him on. Since then, Bloodfyre and I have crossed paths in numerous ways throughout the last decade or longer. However, it hasn't been until I appointed Bloodfyre as Left Hand of Justice that I have been able to work again with him as a member of my staff. I have been grateful for the opportunity.

The Hand positions within the Chamber of Justice are incredibly important, the Left Hand of Justice Especially. In its first function, the Left Hand is an advisor to the Justicar. He is a voice of reason that acts as a sort of devil's advocate in the development of cases. His outlook is always to be to the members' rights. He is to focus on the doubt of a case, rather than the the quality of it. In the second place, but just as important, the Left Hand is an interface between the membership--especially the accused member--and the Justicar. He serves as an advisor to members under investigation, helps them know their rights and develop their case, and makes sure that fairness is paramount.

Bloodfyre has exceeded my expectations on both of these functions. Since his appointment as Left Hand, I have been ever thankful to have his constant advice and view to fall back on. Bloodfyre is to a point in his career where he doesn't need to mince words or suck up to me. But he still has a way to say what he needs to without getting at an argument full tilt. He has a unique way of simply making me think about issues, and always about important issues. In the context of trials, Bloodfyre has easily taken the defense of members and identified the key legal issues that are at issue in the case. In each of the cases where he has served as Left Hand, Bloodfyre identified the same weaknesses in the case did at the same time as me, and he was able to provide me with coherent arguments to go against the grain of the prosecution. I didn't always agree with him in the end, but his efforts made me consider the issue, and in a few cases his efforts clearly led to different case results. In every instance, the considerations raised by Bloodfyre were such that I felt the need to address them in my Justicar Opinions.

The most important role for Bloodfyre has been assisting members that are going through the trial process. This is where Bloodfyre has shined. He has been able to effectively communicate with members as to their rights and obligations under the Covenant. In many cases, Bloodfyre has been able to talk the members into tempering their response to the CoJ after they have a better understanding of what they did wrong and what it means for them. I have tried to institute a liberal policy of accepting members back into the club after punishment, and Bloodfyre has helped members understand that possibility. He goes well above and beyond in this capacity. He acts as an advisor and counselor. He really stands in their shoes and tries to help them through the case issues. In some cases that is not hard. In some cases, like the recent harassment case, that is very, very hard. His efforts are incredibly instrumental to the CoJ.

To be specific, Bloodfyre has sat in on four cases that went through the full judicial process and an additional 12-13 pre-filing matters that never reached the point of charges. Those cases that did not result in charges included cases of alleged cheating, cloning, harassment, removal of a member from a unit, and other Covenant issues. On average, for each of those matters, Bloodfyre would have spent up to several hours reviewing logs and documentation, and communicating with the parties involved and with me about the relative positions. With regard to the cases he has handled, the most recent case, DB v. Darth Vexatus, was the most trying and important for the Left Hand. Bloodfyre engaged in dozens of emails and telegram conversations with the defendant and me in an attempt to reach some sort of "settlement" on the issues. His actions, in my mind, resulted in us being able to avoid a nasty trial and ultimately led to a quick resolution of the case. Throughout, Bloodfyre did what he needed to do, and still argued well for the positions of the defendant (see, for example, the discussions in the opinion about intent and privacy).

In addition to working cases, Bloodfyre has also been instrumental in ensuring that the next version of the Covenant will be exactly what the DB needs. He has read the Covenant not with an eye to procedure and the literal text, but rather to the vision of the future of the DB. To that end, he has made important contributions to sections as big as the Star Chamber. For example, he has helped me clarify the role of the Star Chamber in reviewing fundamental changes to the Brotherhood by the Grand Master and strike a balance in the authority of Dark Councilors versus leaders of independent units. In all, I have received nearly 30 substantive comments on the Covenant from Bloodfyre. He has been excellent on that project.

I have a hard time quantifying the amount of time that Bloodfyre has spent in his role as Left Hand. I can tell you that I have spent hours upon hours talking with him, thinking through his arguments and points, and responding. I am certain that he has put many times that into his role. Especially when it involves talking with the accused members; Bloodfyre opens the clock to them and gives them every effort. It's an effort that is hard to count, but from my viewpoint, it's easy to see. And in my experience, given the other recommendations that join this, I believe that Bloodfyre is truly deserving of this award.

Bloodfyre is one of those members who has been around forever, but unlike many he has kept an optimism about him, driven by a true love for the club and for what he does. I am glad to have had this opportunity to work with him again, and look forward to many more years of his contributions to this club.

Thank you, BF.

Jac

Jac Cotelin, 2016-11-19 20:42:56 UTC