my guy looks so young and innocent.
another lawyer came up to me and said
she couldn’t believe this kid could have been
convicted of several attempted murders. he’s the picture of innocence.
but then there’s the damn evidence.
December 16, 2009
December 11, 2009
December 7, 2009
STATE APPOINTED ATTORNEY
“I don’t want you – I want a state appointed attorney!” my client screams at me within 10 seconds of meeting him in the holding cell of div 30 right after I asked “why were you arrested?”
“Okay, I hear you,” I say and pause a moment. Then, I volunteer as if I’ve just discovered this information and I’m as surprised as he “I am a state appointed attorney.”
“Oh” he says. The interview goes much better from there.
December 4, 2009
THE MOST INGENIOUS CLOSING ARGUMENT EVER
Our clients are caught on tape as they get back into their car after doing the robbery. You can see them have to back up several times before finally being able to get out of the parking lot and burn rubber as they peel away. (is that the expression? doesn’t sound right)
My co-counsel tells the jury that since they parked so badly for the getaway (car is blocked in by a couple of other cars) and thus this getaway is the slowest in the history of man, isn’t that an indication they they never intended to do this crime?
I couldn’t help thinking “are you kidding me?” Unfortunately the jury must’ve thought the same. Guilty.
December 2, 2009
Deputy Sheriff
Went to visit my client in County Jail at Lynwood. This used to be where they kept accused child molesters but now they’re using it for women. Haven’t been here for years. I used to come to see my former paralegal – “Johnny” who was in for getting a 13 year old girl to do a strip tease for him. Allegedly.
Johnny was perfectly bilingual with Spanish and English and he’d interpret for me while I interviewed prospective clients who were in jail with him. It went great – I picked up a lot of new clients while Johnny was in jail – until one day a Sgt. comes along while we’re right in the middle of an interview behind the glass in the visiting room. The Sgt. is shocked and outraged that an inmate was doing the interpreting for other inmates. He huffed and puffed and I got banned from Lynnwood.
And then for one reason or another the Sheriff closed Lynnwood down and weren’t using it to house prisoners anymore. I think it was empty for years. Until recently when they started putting the women there.
But it’s maintained the same vibe it always had. When you walk down those stairs into the visitors room it feels really empty. Your steps echo and it’s freezing cold from the air conditioning and you never see another soul.
When I got there late in the afternoon there was only the one deputy behind a computer. She was preoccupied with what was on the screen and I stood in front of her for the longest time without being acknowledged. She suddenly looks up. “What does this say roughly?” She’s waving a piece of paper in my face. It’s a form contract from a manufacturer. She’d invented something she tells me – it’s a clip board that cops use in the field and this company was interested in manufacturing it. But first they wanted her to sign a confidentiality agreement. “What’s it say?” she demanded. I stood for a few minutes reading the thing and trying to make sense of it. It’s not my field but I got the gist. I told her. “They promise not to tell anybody and you promise the same thing.” And then she sends me through up to my client. She never says “thank you” which I thought was odd but not that odd considering that she’s a cop.
Later on I’m visiting my client – and this very same deputy comes into the visiting room and throws me out cause time was up. So much for gratitude.
