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My Dream Career as A Criminal Defense Lawyer

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I graduated from law school in May, 2004. It is hard to believe it has been 20 years, this week, since I left Georgia State University College of Law. I had no idea why I wanted to go to law school. I found no passion or meaning working as a financial analyst for a large corporation and quit to go back to school in the fall of 2001. Everyone I knew in law school had a reason for why they wanted to become a lawyer except me. I just figured it was better than what I had been doing which was working in a cubical for a corporation that was eerily similar to Office Space.

I lucked into my dream career. A career I never envisioned before law school.

The one thing of the past 20 years that I am most proud of is that an introvert, who barely spoke as a kid and who hates public speaking, tries and wins major felonies. I work in a world of extroverts. As an introvert, I have to spend more time preparing in order to develop the spontaneity needed in a jury trial.

There is no other job I can think of that I would want to do more than that of a criminal defense lawyer. The defense lawyer-client relationship is like no other. It brings two very different people together who are caught up in a high stakes battle over freedom and in some cases even life. A client will tell the defense lawyer secrets that must be carried to the grave.

The thing I think I love most about this job is the competition. It is rare to have a job where you compete against a formidable adversary and then have strangers declare a winner and loser. It is a job that you can literally save someone’s life and keep a family together. It is also a job where you can be rejected by the jury and have someone you have grown to care about hauled away for life in a steel cage. In those cases, a little piece of myself goes with them. Regardless of what my client may or may not have done, I never judge them or lecture them. Everyone, regardless of the monstrous thing they might have done, is entitled to one person who speaks for them and tries to help save them. And quite a few are actually innocent. But guilt or innocence makes no difference in the preparation and advocacy.

I have spent the last 20 years trying to make civility in the courtroom a hallmark. I have never raised my voice at a prosecutor, judge or anyone else in the courtroom. The public views lawyers poorly and I think it is incumbent on my profession to do better. As a lawyer, you have to be a zealot for your client. But you can zealously advocate while also acting civil, ethical and professional at all times. The prosecutor and judge are rarely, if ever, the enemy. They are integral parts of our criminal justice system.

I hope to spend the rest of my life in the criminal courts standing next to the accused and giving them a voice. The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution demands it. Whether the accused is guilty or innocent does not matter. They are entitled to be treated fairly.

I often think about the quote of the late Albert Krieger:

“The criminal defense lawyer marches into the pit, often unloved by everyone in the courtroom, but with the courage, strength and mind to make our Constitution live as a vibrant being in that courtroom on behalf of someone who at that moment stands for all the principles of freedom and dignity. It is a chore in many respects, it is difficult in all respects. It is tiring. It is demanding. But it is what we signed up for.”

 

 

VIDEO – Testifying in Court in Your Georgia Criminal Case

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Testifying in court can make even some of the most seasoned attorneys nervous. But what about people charged with crimes who want to express their innocence and have never testified in court before? Watch this video below and call our office with questions.

Telling your story through testifying in court is about understanding the important pieces of your case. And what does that mean? It means what does the jury need to know about what happened? What does your jury need to know about you? How do you best tell your story to the jury? What does all of that include?

Well first and foremost you must tell the jury the truth. Jury members are smart. They will know if what you are telling them is not true. And as you are telling your story, truthful testimony will help the jury understand you as a person.

Next, listen to the entire question being asked and answer that and only that question.

Often, questions will begin with one of the classic question words like who, what, where, when, why, and how. You answer a where question with a location. Answer a question about time with the time. Jurors will stop caring about your story if you give non-responsive answers.

And if you do not fully understand the question being asked, take a moment and ask for clarification or ask for the question to be asked again.

Take a moment before answering each question to thing about your answer before actually saying it.

Let the pause calm yourself. Calm your nerves. Some questions will be inflammatory. Other questions asked by the state might even be offensive. Use that moment to center yourself to answer each question in a calm and collected manner.

You are allowed to qualify your answers on cross-examination. If the Georgia prosecutor is asking you for a yes or no answer and that’s all, you can explain your answer after responding yes or no. Do so when necessary.

Also, always remember you are telling your story to the jury. You aren’t speaking to the state’s prosecutor when they are asking you questions. Turn and make eye contact with each and every juror. Through eye contact, you will actually connect with the jury.

Putting these pieces together takes practice. It takes time. At our law firm we pride ourselves on discovery our client’s stories and preparing them for trial to connect with the Georgia jury. If you are our client and you want to practice, we are the only law firm that does criminal defense with our own mock courtroom where you can shake off your nerves and practice for testifying in court.

We want to help you tell your story. Call us today at 404-581-0999 for a free legal consultation on your Georgia criminal defense trial.

Thank you.