I am no longer a trial virgin. Today I got to do my first direct examination during a jury trial. The 1st chair offered it to me yesterday but our supervisor almost took it away from me because he was concerned that it was too much for my first trial. I told them that I really wanted to do it unless they were concerned that I would screw up the whole case. I guess they weren't that worried, because I got to do it. But first, they brought in one of our investigators to explain to me that cops are like scared little girls on the witness stand, and they get really upset if the prosecutors don't protect them from the defense attorneys. Great, now I had to worry about pissing off my supervisor who didn't want me doing this and the officers.
Despite all the worries I did fine. I really wasn't nervous, and everyone (including my overprotective supervisor and defense counsel) said I did great. It helped that the officer that I was examining was terrific. It was his first time to testify, but he never let the defense rattle him (and he tried).
Unfortunately, even with my kick ass performance ;) we lost the case. Turns out that the jury didn't think that walking on the wrong side of the street should be cause for officers to stop a person. (Yes, walking on the wrong side of the street is an offense--you have to walk with traffic, not against it--or is it the other way around?)
The very best part of the case was during cross of the defendant. The prosecutor couldn't pin him down on where the crack came from, so she finally asked, "So I guess the Crack Fairy came down and put the crack under your grandma's porch?" I think I bit a hole through my lip to try to keep from busting a gut.
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