Last week in Federal District Court in Central Florida, three lawyers get into a dispute over a myriad of seemingly simple details. The judge tries to mediate the differences but the three lawyers will have none of that.

Meanwhile, the lawyers are blocking the way of progress in a crowded court system — spending valuable time and taxpayer money — in the so-called interest of the public.

Finally the judge orders the three opposing lawyers to meet at some mutually agreeable location to decide on the central issue — where to hold a deposition for a witness in the forthcoming trial.

Still, none of the lawyers can agree on where they will meet for the discussion. The dispute looks like it’ll just go on and on. Finally, the federal judge has enough. The wise old man gathers up all his judicial experience — plus some plain old horse sense — and writes an order which leaves no choice as to how the lawyers will make their decision.

The judge orders the lawyers to meet at a neutral location at a specific time and date. "If you can’t agree on a time and location, then I order you to meet right in front of this building — on the courthouse steps," says the judge.

"I further order you to settle your dispute as to where to hold the deposition, if by no other means, then by using the child’s game of rock, scissors, and paper," says the judge. "So ordered!" He raps his gavel and court’s in recess.

Outside on the courthouse steps the three lawyers agree: they each need to "bone up" on the child’s game of rock, scissors, and paper.

Last year officials at Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses could not agree on where to sell a $17.8 million collection of fine art, so they used the kids’ game to decide. Christie’s won.

For the uninitiated, all you’ve got to remember is: paper covers rock; scissors cuts paper; and rock breaks scissors.