Jury Duty

This week I have had jury duty. Monday and Tuesday involved sitting in a room and reading for awhile then being sent home. Then on Wednesday I was actually sent to the courtroom. As we entered the courtroom my number was called and I was juror number 9 in the box. I don't like voir dire as an attorney and I don't like voir dire as a juror.

I have one piece of advice for the prosecutor who voir dired me: ask more questions. The following is a near transcript of the voir dire.

Prosecutor: I see you are a student, what are you studying?
Petition: Law
Prosecutor: What year are you?
Petition: 3rd

Prosecutor then sat down and accepted the panel. Defense attorney got up to do her part.

Defense attorney: Do you have an idea what you are going to do after law school?
Petition: I don't have a job offer yet, but I know what I want to do.
Defense: What is that?
Petition: Public Defense

The prosecutor visible reacted to that answer. Needless to say I made the jury.

I was very disappointed when we had a directed verdict. I really wanted to see deliberations. Mr. Prosecutor seemed to forget that drugs are required to prove a possession of drugs case. He couldn't find them. Moot point really since he also failed to prove possession. I did a quick poll of the jurors to find out how they were leaning. They were all leaning not guilty but for a different reason. They didn't find the possession issue that I concerned myself with interesting. They keyed in on the minor inconsistencies in the officers testimony.

I thought 3L was supposed to be easy

Two clinics and trial ad at the same time may have been a bad idea. Oh and TAing an undergrad class doesn't help any either.

Lessons learned

1. Federal Prisons are not easy to work with. Getting a straight answer about when a client will be available is like pulling teeth.

2. When a judge appoints you to represent someone he doesn't think the case has merit. I am appointed to legitimize my clients loss. This way the client will be angry with me and not the court.

3. GTA 3: Vice City is an excellent to relieve stress.

4. Holy shit undergrads are young. To my undergrads, if you invite me out to the bar with you, that's cool I'd love to come. Don't tell me you are 19 though. I'd rather not know that I'm contributing to the delinquency of a minor.