VERDICT: Not Guilty

1. I needed to do a MUCH better job wrapping up the facts during my closing. A little less talking generally and a little more SLAMMINGHISFACEWITHASTICK anger.

2. Of course, the evidence we had to work with? Even with a perfect direct/cross examination of witnesses along with a perfect opening and perfect closing…would probably still be difficult to prove, really, since well…Hockey is violent. People get hurt. People accidentally end careers. Oops. I needed to differentiate MUCH CLEARER how VICIOUS and VILE this event really was…and I didn’t.

3. NOT TO MENTION…My co-counsel and I had already agreed that even with a PERFECT presentation by the prosecution…the high school kids were likely to find in favor of the defendant. Those little bratty kids. Ok, only a few of them were horrific (to be told later) but still…

So in summation I didn’t totally make us lose? Did I?

I do have to say…well first and foremost….THANK YOU SCOTT! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for a superior job as Coach Ron Cherry. No, really, everyone who met you was impressed…I could never have asked for a better witness! And it was PRICELESS when you left the dress rehearsal on Tuesday night, to tell me that you were going to leave to go watch the Sabres game. Perfection. Your knowledge of hockey was impeccable and boy oh boy, did you fit the part well! (Watch out wife of Chucklehead, your hubby is a bruiser!)

And secondly, I kinda did end up having some fun…once I started to get into it a little bit…my problem was, I really could have cared less all week. And all last week…and I felt crappy…of course last night? I couldn’t sleep going over closing arguments in my head (obviously not good enough ones to convince a group of teenagers that the defendant was a cheap shot making bastard AND that this act in and of itself was CRIMINAL) And of course, since this is law school pretend…the actual evidence and fact pattern we had was shifty at best. With what the kids said when they read the verdict, it wouldn’t really have mattered, they believed it was an accident.

Of course Coach Cherry said time and time again it was the worse thing he ever witnessed, but that wasn’t enough. I didn’t make it enough either…Coach really flustered up defense counsel through during her cross examination. (Which is what happened to me on Tuesday night…) Coach would not answer yes or no questions, like she WANTED. Really, she was the one who needed to ASK the questions and control the witness by her questions. Which is what one does on Cross. I have a problem with this too. Of course, on Direct, when you aren’t allowed to lead…I want to lead. And on Cross…I want the WHO WHATWHEREWHENWHYHOW’s. As a litigator, I guess this would become second nature, but for now…I find it difficult. And so did she. Coach Cherry tripped her up…frequently. And therefore, Coach got in LOTS of testimony in our favor. Thank you. And yes, I think she does hate you, but she hates you because you are beautiful! And because you did an excellent job.

Personally? I think I did a much better job on my Direct and Cross and with my objections. But I still needed to pound in the evidence in my closing, which I did not do well….

So, with that my Trial Technique class is over and done. I am assuming I passed. And my Special Ed Law class has been over and done, again assumption passing. I skipped the last class on Wednesday when we got our papers back…like every day this week, I went home from work and crawled into bed. Blah.

So? Two more to go. I will be done, done, complete, finished on December 16th at 12:00.

And thank you once again Scott for the amazing performance. I will make it up to you! SOON!