Exhausting day after trial today, but hearing those words "Not Guilty" made all the anxiety and stress through out the day ease away. Preparing for this trial was hard. You never know what a jury is going to latch onto, or what they will think of your client, the evidence, the other witnesses or how they will decide your client's fate.
This case was hard to prepare for because I truly believed my client was innocent. He had a prior criminal record that I think was used against him in this arrest, but he didn't commit any crimes when they arrested him. Sometimes these cases are the hardest to prepare for because you want to make sure that your innocent client doesn't go to jail or prison, especially because you truly believe they are innocent of the crimes charged.
As a lawyer in trial anything you say isn't supposed to be considered evidence, but rather you are supposed to ask questions to get testimony into the record, which is the evidence. You are supposed to use your arguments to then craft that evidence into what you believe is the truth, or your theory of the truth.
Coming up with your theory of the truth or case is challenging. You need it to be something simple that the jury can understand and carry with them throughout the trial, but sometimes witnesses or the evidence can throw you a curveball and completely make you rethink your theory, or even your whole case; being able to think on your feet, being able to connect with the jury, that's what makes a great lawyer. Knowing the law and being able to make sure it's on your side is so important, but if you can't connect with the other human beings in the courtroom, it sometimes doesn't matter.
Days like today are great for me as an attorney because it reinforces my belief that I can be the best lawyer for ANYONE because I know the law, I know how to apply it correctly, but most importantly I can relate. I can relate to my client, to the witnesses, to the judge, the prosecutor, but most importantly the jury!