There is absolutely no reason for the duplicate of my last post. I think I thought it didn’t publish the first time. And, from the lack of responses, I’m going to assume that no one else cries while watching that show except for me. That’s okay, I can live with that.

I am coaching some students for our local law school’s trial team. They are competing in two weeks in Atlanta. It is sponsored by the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, so hopefully I’ll have some clue as to what they are looking for in these kids. When I went to NCDC last summer, I really learned how to try a case. I mean, when I tried my first case as a defense attorney, I really felt like a homeless person begging for a crumb. I had no idea how much stuff I could do, how wild, crazy and over the top I was allowed to be, until I met the most insane group of criminal defense attorneys at NCDC. We stayed up late, worked our asses off, and generally had a feeling of comeraderie and community. And, well, we all were on the same side fighting for the same stuff. It was like a revival meeting (not that I’ve ever been to a revival meeting but I guess that’s what it must be like)

Wait, back to these kids. These kids on the trial team are great. They are smart and talented, but the problem is they go to law school. Law school sucks the personality and guts right out of you. You turn into a robot and you’ve got some foreign notion of yourself – that you are supposed to be something else: THE LAWYER. NCDC taught me that that’s not true. You can be you. You can have fun. And you can kick ass. Yesterday, in order to get this through to them, we role played (stop it, dirty minded readers) And I think, now, I’m going to be cautious here, but I think they actually got it!!! I’ll keep you posted on how they do.

p.s. Have you noticed that I’ve gotten a little crazy with the linking stuff. Blame blondejustice.

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