Trial Practice

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to conduct a mock murder trial in Suffolk Superior Courthouse in Boston and it was awesome. My partner, Julie Endy, and I were defense attorneys for a police officer who allegedly shot his girlfriend in the vestibule of a cafe. I was extremely nervous but once I made my first objection, everything just came together. My objection was sustained and from then on, it was no stopping us. I'm especially proud of myself for conducting a good cross of the lead investigator in the case. In class, I had a hard time adding new information to my cross examination that was not already written down in my notes. This means that although I would listen intently to the direct examination of a witness, if that witness said something totally wrong, I would fumble and bumble trying to draw it out in my cross, especially if it wasn't expected or in my notes. However, on Tuesday, I found the right words and the right rhythm to tear the witness apart.

My closing argument was a thing of beauty. The judge loved it.
Click here to read my closing argument.

Overall, I really enjoyed this class. As a future prosecutor, I'm going to live in the courtroom. And although I still have a long way to go, I'm now confident enough in my ligation skills that I know I won't embarrass myself in a courtroom (to a certain extent).