Saturday, June 14, 2008

Trial Preparation

It is now 11:30pm on Saturday night and there is still a lot of work to be done on this case. I pick a jury in 9 days for a felony matter and the stakes couldn't be higher. My client faces up to five (5) years of prison if convicted and the likely scenario is 12 - 18 months plus probation depending on how the facts play out... if convicted.

My job is to make sure I provide my client the best defense to the best of my ability. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is a two word verdict... NOT GUILTY. The only way you get that two word verdict is by putting the time in. That's why I'm here. You have to be more prepared than your opponent if you want to win.

In the field of criminal defense the one with the easy job is the prosecutor. Really, it's true. They have a huge group of people devoted to putting you behind bars. They've got a crack team of attorneys... dozens of trial assistants... numerous investigators... a huge budget... and of course they have the police. So what do you have? You've got one guy standing between you and the government. That's right. You've got me.

It may not seem like much, but when you have a person dedicated to defending you and willing to stand up and trade punches with the prosecutor, the cops and the judge; you've got a fighting chance. That's why I'm here so late on a Saturday night at the Office. I want to win. I believe my guy is innocent... and I'm going to fight.

William T. Bly, Esq.
Maine OUI Lawyer