Pat Horan reflects on advocacy skills in criminal courts
Have you ever seen somebody manipulate someone into doing something without the other person realising? It's a rare talent. You need tact and diplomacy. You must also be sincere. Even the most insecure and powerful can spot insincerity. And they loathe it.
I witnessed all this happening one day in court. Like many judges, ours was wary of outsiders, unfamiliar lawyers from outside his district. It is a truism knowing your judge is more than half the battle. Judges have such enormous latitude they have myriad ways of defeating your solid arguments, which may have nothing to do with the strength of your argument, or the law. Often it comes down to something less obvious, like whether they like you or not. Personalities matt...
