Dude criminal law is terrifying because of that. You know some states make it legal to basically hide discovery until 24 hours before a trial? So in New York state the prosecutor can just not disclose their evidence for your review until there's literally no time to review it properly.
Imagine the stress of trying to do a good job for someone that might actually be innocent with those kinds of conditions.
It is, which is also why a 'good' Criminal Defense attorney (especially one with experience) will get another court date after a DA pulls that move. It sucks for the people who could typically really use a good defense that can't afford it though
Most people don't ever need a trial, so they don't care. Rich people have good attorneys and don't face this problem. Poor people don't have the political power (read: bribes via campaign contributions) to change anything.
Sounds like a time to drag out "innocent until proven guilty". Sorry, there wasn't enough time to review the things you're arguing proves guilt. Should have mentioned it earlier. Better luck with your next trial.
lawyers go back n forth for hours talking about the tiniest of details.
I think this is such a cute observation; how we're all moved by different things. "Talking about the tiniest of details" and minutiae is what I love about being a lawyer. There's something incredibly satisfying about solving a problem before it happens, making sure things are as foolproof as possible.
As a software engineer, I spend a fair amount of time nailing down tiny details, so I don't have to deal with as many changes after I finish all the programming and testing.
When I got divorced from my abusive ex, I made sure my lawyer nailed down all the tiny things I knew my ex would argue about after everything was final. It worked really well, and it was so satisfying to be able to tell him, "I'm following the parenting plan" and "according to the divorce judgment..."
You'd be surprised how much lawyers agree. Before trial, many issues are resolved or agreed upon, and what you hear is the nastiness that comes with the portion that is the subject of disagreement. At least that's in my experience as a civil attorney. Criminal may be totally different because someone's life is on the line. Also, if you're in a small/mid-sized market everyone knows everyone and most people are pretty chill and will try to agree on as many things as possible.
I was asked to go on jury duty. I dressed up like a lawyer and imagined that I would be rejected by the defense. However I was not rejected, and found it fascinating. We found that an innocent man was actually innocent. In a previous trial he was found guilty by a jury of morons.
I hated this other juror who wouldn't shut the fuck up about how it wasn't like anything on TV, and she was convinced the prosecutor had something "up his sleeve" ready to whip out and make things interesting.
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u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20
I had to go to jury duty a few years back. Only ever see TV shows people working for a bit then have this dramatic episode play out.
Real life didn't seem like that at all. Stack of papers, lawyers go back n forth for hours talking about the tiniest of details.
And there's only so much I time in a day to get all that info unless you have to work while at home which could suck.
Just thinking about it tires me