Waiting

As you may know, if you have checked out the websites listed below, the case has gone to the jury.  We did closing arguments on Tuesday and the jury began deliberating on Wednesday.  They have not reached a verdict yet and have indicated that they may keep deliberating through Tuesday of next week. 

I stayed in Juneau this weekend even though the jury is not deliberating.  Why?  Because during this trial, I picked up an armed robbery case out of Juneau.  So, I spent a good part of the day at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center introducing myself to my new client.  I figure that since I'm already here, it makes more sense to do that than to go home this weekend and then have a day when I have to fly back and meet my client.  Besides, I've been gone so long that it is in some sense easier to stay than to go home and then come back.  I've already missed 2 of my kids' birthdays during this trial.

Other stuff today:  getting my laundry done (it really needed to be done), starting out the day at Heritage Coffee, drinking what I consider the best breve in the state with an iced berry scone, and finding a new TexMex restaurant out in the Valley.

In other work related news, the DA also indicted three people on a new murder 1 charge out of Petersburg yesterday and odds are excellent I will wind up representing someone in that group.  No official word yet, but I might have the appointment before a verdict in this case. 

So, what to do while waiting.  I went out with a good friend last night in the Juneau Public Defender office.  He and I attended NCDC this last summer and we went to a couple of  Juneau bars, saw some friends of his and relaxed.

Tonight, I am joining this same friend and two private lawyers at the restaurant in our hotel, a very nice restaurant.  One of the private lawyers is a real wine connossieur (sp?) and he is donating several nice bottles to our meal.  The rest of us will pick up the corkage fees, but hey, we get to enjoy the following wines:

2002 Argyle Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR)
1997 Corison Cabernet (Napa)
1996 Chateau Gruaud Larose (Bordeaux)
1997 Dolce (Napa)

I am sure that everyone reading this sympathizes with the hardships I have to endure.  Tomorrow, I am going to go hiking by the Mendenhall Glacier and clear my thoughts.  Trials are usually intense and there are several factors that really increase the intensity of this one:  it is a murder case, my client is 17 years old facing a lot of time, and this case has generated intense publicity, at least for this state.

There are no courses in law school to teach you how to deal with this type of case.  What I have done is to conduct the trial as I would any other trial and deal with the attention outside of the courtroom.  The CourtTV website has a discussion board section where people can comment about this case.  I have not read those discussion boards, primarily because I am not going to let myself be distracted by what others think. 

In the meantime, we wait for a verdict.  As a lawyer, this is the scariest part of the trial.  I have found that lawyers, particularly trial lawyers, are control freaks.  And now, my job is over (in one sense).  For good or for bad, there is nothing more that I can do and my client's fate is beyond my control at this point.  That makes this the hardest part (to quote Tom Petty). 

Comments

[notguilty]

Good luck. Our jury deliberated for 14 hours before coming back with a verdict of guilty on involuntary manslaughter and not murder 1. Those may have been the longest 14 hours of my life.

We're sending good defense attorney vibes your way.

[Greg]

I never know whether congratulations are in order after a mistrial, but I imagine having to re-try the case will result in a little more "wine tasting."

[David Feige]

Good luck.
I know how hard this is, especially with such a young client.
Hang in there.
At least you've got a lot of good wine.

[Frolics and Detours]

Congrats on the hang!

[Sanchovilla]

Good work!

[Alaskan Law Student]

I'm heartened by the fact that the split went 10-2 for acquittal. Good job.

[Melissa]

Hung jury. GOod job.

[Jim Cottrell]

I have had several inquiries regarding the Pocket Ulu we manufacture and a murder in Petersburg.

I have been searching the web and found this case mentioned. I am hoping you can let me know details about the use of the Pocket Ulu in the crime. I can give you any information you may need regarding manufacture dates, sale locations etc.

Thank you for any information,

Jim Cottrell
907-346-5555
[email protected] or
[email protected]