The Way Out is Through (in the Time of ‘Rona)

In my previous work in this series, The Way Out is Through, I talked about six principles for effective attorney-client communication and trial practice. Since I first published that story in January 2020, the practice of public defense in the 12th Circuit Court District of Mississippi has changed dramatically. Trials have ground to a stand-still. Jury trials are still over the horizon; we came close, before the most recent covid surge, to having a week of jury trials; instead, we had two bench trials in the week before Thanksgiving.

Without trials, is the premise of these articles still true?

Let’s review the past:

1. Everybody lies;
2. No good deed goes unpunished;
3. Remain calm and document everything;
4. Fear is the mind killer;
5. Do not break the law; and
6. Chill out.

The good news is that all six of these premises hold up. Everybody still lies; no good deed still goes unpunished; you should still remain calm and document everything; fear is still the mind killer; you should still not break the law; and you should still chill out.

Everybody lies;

Lately, it’s more true that everybody lies. Mostly they lie about covid exposure, about potential exposure, and about their willingness to follow protocols related to covid. But they’re still lying. Don’t worry about it. The courts are aware…