Read Lindon Dodd's wonderful tribute to Michael J. McDaniel.

Mike's funeral was Friday, and I'm told that his fellow attorneys will be mounting a wake later this week.

I may need to crash it.

Let's be clear: Lindon Dodd's appreciation of Mike at the News and Tribune is absolutely brilliant.

When I first made Mike's acquaintance 30-something years ago while working at the former Scoreboard Liquors, his storytelling skills were immediately evident, especially those having to do with a county to the west of here, a locale he habitually referred to as the Land of Three-Fingered People.

But never, ever spitefully or with malice.

Mike would pronounce this conjured place name with a wink and lilt, and while it may have been good for a laugh in New Albany (not exactly a bastion of brilliance itself), it did not lessen his rock solid commitment to providing his services to people there who needed them.

Did I say that Lindon Dodd's essay is wonderful? Click through and read it, please. If you didn't know Mike, you'll feel like you did.

DODD: Remembering our Magic Mike

 ... Perhaps more of a trademark even than his mostly unmatched legal skills and knowledge was Mike McDaniel the person. The most common theme was his simple engaging personality on so many levels. He could intelligently converse about almost any subject, even excluding the law.

Words people used this past week to describe him include: whimsical, sarcastic, funny, caustic, clever, bright, caring, giving and lovable. In my mind, he was one of the most engaging personalities I have ever known. I learned so much conversing with him and I am pretty certain that at no time that we ever spent time together did I not laugh at least once.

R.I.P. Mike McDaniel: "A lion and a teacher."

"He was one of the good guys."
-- Laszlo

I came to know Michael J. McDaniel as one of the lawyers clustered and smoking at the liquor store. These times were as good an education as I ever received in school.

Mike wasn't Lemmy, but in the sense of utter originality, they're a conceptual match. It's the end of an era. We will not see another like Michael J.

WHAS has the basics, but there'll be more. Here are a few observations from a fellow attorney's Facebook page.

There are lawyers with whom one has the honor of co-counseling, sitting on the same side of the courtroom, who, in the middle of the darkest day, the worst evidence, and threats from both the prosecutor and the judge, will catch your eye and with a wink remind you that this is your job, and this is your client's life, and it's time to go to war.

I had my very first felony jury trial with him. He got an acquittal on a residential burglary charge. He took me to school that week as a young deputy prosecutor. I will miss him.

Mike was an impassioned and devoted criminal defense attorney. certainly a fixture around the courthouse.

Mike McDaniel was the best trial lawyer I ever saw in front of a jury. He could distill the facts of a case to their absolute essence, then weave them into the most riveting tale. It was always a pleasure to see him, inside or outside of the courtroom. He will be sorely missed.