Law and Order

No, this isn't the Sacramento County Sheriff that pulled me over that fateful Sunday morning months ago, but this guy is pretty much the coolest cop I've ever seen, so he made it on the blog. I was not going to let the Sacramento County Sheriff take me down with a speeding ticket without a fight, so being the young budding lawyer that I am, and having watched Law and Order as a kid, I decided to take my ticket to trial. I went to my first hearing a month ago and pled not guilty to the speeding charge. I obtained my trial date and feverishly began to prepare. I knew that I might be going up against a seasoned DA...out for blood.

Yes, this is what I pictured...except that I wasn't a woman, and the court reporter didn't wear hearing aids in my vision of things. I showed up on the appointed date ready for battle. The courtroom was buzzing before the hearing. I brought my briefcase and legal pad so I could look like an intimidating real life lawyer, rather than the chump law student that I actually am. I wore my best suit, glasses, but held off on the cuff links, I didn't want to look too flashy to the judge. As I sat and waited for the trial to start I nervously reviewed my notes, eying the Highway Patrolmen sitting next to me to make sure they weren't stealing my case strategy. Finally the judge walked in and the bailiff called the court to order. The judge called my name and I approached the bench, "Good afternoon your honor." The judge gave me a look like "Easy buddy, this is a friggin' traffic ticket, not a murder trial!" I took my seat and the Judge addressed me, "Mr. Hunt, the officer has failed to appear, and therefore your case is dismissed." I slid my legal pad into my briefcase like I had somewhere much more important to be, like I needed to get back to billing $500 an hour, said "Thank you very much your honor" and walked out of the courtroom. I had just won my first trial, surely to be the first of many. But for now, I can enjoy the feeling of being undefeated in the courtroom.