Like I have said, I have been on house arrest for more than a week now. I have been itching to report to the office and to get my hands on on a couple of cases I should be getting started on. Instead, I chose to take a break because I wouldn't want to gross people out with my constant coughing. But today, Tito called me up and asked if I was free this afternoon. Without hesitation, I said I was. My heart was jumping up and down because I'll be in court. Wohoo! So he went on to brief me what the case was about and what I have to do. It's pretty simple really. And I have heard of this case already. Thanks to our legal secretary whose keeping me updated.
It is a criminal case and we represent the accused. As a lawyer, it is always advisable that you separate your personal self in handling cases. Especially in a sensitive criminal case like this one. I will be meeting and briefing the clients before we go to court. I made sure tho that I arrive in the office earlier than them so I will be able to read the file before I actually meet them. While going thru it, I find myself shaking my head a few times. It is such a sad sad case. But like I said, I have to separate my personal opinions if I want to effectively represent this client. So I met with them and then off to court we went.
You know the phrase, 'innocent til proven otherwise'? Somehow, on cases like this, the accused is looked down on with disgust and worse, convicted as guilty even before the ball starts rolling. It is such a bad bad behavior when there is blatant biasness. Making it known that you don't believe in every word that comes from his mouth. But as a lawyer, you can only do so much. You have to play it by ear, based on the behavior of the person in charged. Even when you feel that you have the right to get all mad, sometimes you just have to swallow down the things you have to say. Because more often, it will cause your case more harm than good.
Lawyering is not just about the intelligence. I'd like to believe it is more on wits and strategy. You can't keep a car running by its instruction book alone. Sometimes you need to feel and connect with it in order to know how best to remedy what's broken. Or try out other ways if the damage still continues to exist. Just like lawyering. It's a constant trial and error. There is not one book that will teach you how to become a great lawyer. You become better as the years go by and your practice becomes more intense. One strategy is just not enough. Each case is different so it must be treated differently too. If you can juggle cases easily, that's when you know you're a good lawyer.
It is a criminal case and we represent the accused. As a lawyer, it is always advisable that you separate your personal self in handling cases. Especially in a sensitive criminal case like this one. I will be meeting and briefing the clients before we go to court. I made sure tho that I arrive in the office earlier than them so I will be able to read the file before I actually meet them. While going thru it, I find myself shaking my head a few times. It is such a sad sad case. But like I said, I have to separate my personal opinions if I want to effectively represent this client. So I met with them and then off to court we went.
You know the phrase, 'innocent til proven otherwise'? Somehow, on cases like this, the accused is looked down on with disgust and worse, convicted as guilty even before the ball starts rolling. It is such a bad bad behavior when there is blatant biasness. Making it known that you don't believe in every word that comes from his mouth. But as a lawyer, you can only do so much. You have to play it by ear, based on the behavior of the person in charged. Even when you feel that you have the right to get all mad, sometimes you just have to swallow down the things you have to say. Because more often, it will cause your case more harm than good.
Lawyering is not just about the intelligence. I'd like to believe it is more on wits and strategy. You can't keep a car running by its instruction book alone. Sometimes you need to feel and connect with it in order to know how best to remedy what's broken. Or try out other ways if the damage still continues to exist. Just like lawyering. It's a constant trial and error. There is not one book that will teach you how to become a great lawyer. You become better as the years go by and your practice becomes more intense. One strategy is just not enough. Each case is different so it must be treated differently too. If you can juggle cases easily, that's when you know you're a good lawyer.
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