War Story: My Most Embarrassing Day in Court

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Publication year: 2022

War Story: My Most Embarrassing Day in Court

For obvious reasons, the name of the client is fictitious; unfortunately, however, all of the other facts and names are true.

As a new, young lawyer, in order to gain some trial experience (and income), I volunteered to represent clients in criminal cases through the Office of the Public Defender.

One such client was a gentleman who was charged with the possession and distribution of some nefarious drug, the name of which I have forgotten.

I was trying the case in Judge Guidry's court without a jury. The prosecutor in the case was David Miller.

Perhaps due to my inexperience (on more likely because of the facts), my client did not have much of a defense to this case so we were going to test out whether or not David Miller could prove guilt to Judge Guidry.

I had instructed my client that he should not take the stand in this case for numerous reasons (one of which will become evident soon).

During the State's part of the case, David Miller quite easily put on a true thrashing of my client.

At the end of the State's case, we, of course, moved for a judgment of acquittal, which was briskly denied.

As I was explaining to my client the significance of the denial, he informed me that he wanted to testify. I told him that this was not the most advisable thing for him to do, but he...