Can I Count a 60-ish% Win?

October 2, 2007 on 9:45 pm | In front line stories, juries | 6 Comments

I have so much to talk about that I kept waiting for the time to sit down and write a nice long post filling you in on all the news (like the Massachusetts jail that is letting inmates out and the NPR program about jail over-crowding). Then I realized that I will never have a chunk of time to write everything that I want to write about at once and it was stupid to write nothing at all. So here I am with five minutes before I have to leave and I wanted to share with you some exciting news…

I had my first jury trial last week.

It was terrifying at first. And then, as I think I have said a lot of times here, I totally forgot that there were other people there and I just did it. And I did it well, I think. On a seven count complaint, I got required findings of Not Guilty on four counts (all the felonies). Then the last three counts (all misdemeanors) went to the jury, which came back Guilty on all three. So technically I got Not Guilty verdicts in a jury trial…just not from the jury itself. But it is a huge relief to get that first one over with. And I am proud of myself.

6 Comments »

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  1. Congratulations! A win is still a win! You should be very proud of yourself.

    Comment by Gideon — October 2, 2007 #

  2. Simple answer is yes. Your definition of winning will change as a result of this job.

    Comment by Donzell — October 3, 2007 #

  3. I was so nervous before my first trial that I tried to make myself vomit beforehand. Once it started, I was fine.. and even though I still get nervous before trials, it’s not anywhere near that first time.

    Comment by Audacity — October 3, 2007 #

  4. [...] From public defender blogger MissTyrios: I had my first jury trial last week. [...]

    Pingback by Can I count a 60-ish% win? : Public Defender Stuff — October 4, 2007 #

  5. As a PD you must take your wins where you can.

    Comment by David — October 4, 2007 #

  6. Well done, you! Your definition of a “win” will most definately become looser thte longer you do this job. For me, those butterflies are no longer making me puke, but they are still there. It’s amazing how quickly they go away as soon as I start my opening, and amazing how quickly they come back when I realize the cop just lied!

    The first in a sting of many, many wins!

    Comment by Miss Conduct PDX — November 5, 2007 #

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