Cough-cough

Another jury win.  Cough. 

Comments

[Gideon]

Now you're just showing off :p

I'm kidding! Congratulations :)

[Gideon]

Now you're just showing off :p

I'm kidding! Congratulations :)

[Charlsie Kate]

Scoplaw, let me tell you a little story. I had a very good friend from college, let's call her SE. SE is an amazing person, and after college she joined Teach for America and was sent to Phoenix, to an intercity elementary school.

SE was so passionate about her job and the role she played in this school. She saw things every day that cut her to the quick and made her want to work night and day for these children. She literally worked her fingers to the bone, she felt it was her calling, and that she had been placed there for a reason. She came to realize that many of these children had no one to turn to but her, she saw ever kind of child abuse, and spent many nights crying. And this was just the first semester.

In January, she got a bad cold. But she knew that every day she wasn't at school was a day the children in her class needed her and she wasn't there. So she ignored her body and worked through her sickness.

Eventually, she came down with pneumonia, was in the hospital for a few weeks, the school system in phoenix let her go (because it was a poor system that couldn't afford a teacher who wasn't there), she lost her health insurance, and her place in Teach for America. All and all, she was very mistreated by the system and Teach for America. Those are side notes.

The point is, you need to take care of yourself. You can't help your clients from the hospital. This is a very serious year for bad illnesses. My friend was a 23 year old in great shape who runs marathons. Don't think it can't happen to you. As much as you don't want to - you should take a few days off and rest and let your body catch up.

[Scoplaw]

Well, thank you both, for different reasons. As it turns out, pushing hard (and intelligently, of course) is often the right thing to do. We started Monday with 26 cases set for trial. The state nolle prossed most of them, and then some clients took pleas that they actually wanted to take (no one was forced into anything - the vast majority of the pleas were for credit time served). We were left with 5 guys who absolutely wanted to go to trial.

And here's how the pushing paid off. The state nolles two cases just before we got the jury. Witness problems, a belated realization of how bad their cases were? - I just don't know. So we went on Monday night with client #3. "We" is my trial partner and a couple of Certified Legal Interns who work hard for us and wanted some trial experience. I played the gopher/ghost and was in the courtroom taking care of things and pitching in whenever the jury wasn't. When they were there I tapped on the backs of chairs and murmered into ears. So I was able to take it relatively easy.

It was a dogfight. At 9something we got the final NG verdict back a mere 20 min after the jury retired (and that's with pizza waiting for them in the jury room). Client is estatic.

Today, a very weary State Attorney informs me that he's going to nolle case number 4, after reviewing the case with his officer and the powers that be. So I pull out case number 5 (file fat with caselaw) and drop it, ker-thunk, on my desk. "OK. We're ready on Client 5."

An hour later, after "reviewing" the case with superiors and his witness, he decides that he can't prove up the final case after all, and he's going to nolle that case as well.

Thus we get out early, I have an afternoon to leisurely make headway on other cases, and we have 5 more guys out in the sunshine this afternoon. And, of course, I can set up my Wed. cases that much more cleanly.

[Gideon]

Now that is pretty cool. Just goes to show you how much the prosecution overcharges and plays chicken with defendants knowing that they can usually get a conviction with not much evidence.

Imagine what they do to pro-se defendants.

[Kat]

Congrats! :) That must be a great feeling!

ps(I second Charlsie-Kate's motion that you take some time off soon)