00:04
the reason i decided to become a lawyer
00:06
is because i was looking for
00:07
a job that could number one allow me to
00:11
help people and in criminal law i’m
00:14
usually
00:15
dealing with people that find themselves
00:16
in one of the worst situations of their
00:18
lives
00:19
so it’s rewarding to me to be able to
00:21
intervene and help people through their
00:22
problems
00:23
and hopefully get a positive outcome so
00:25
that was really important to me
00:26
it was also important me to have a job
00:28
that allowed me to use my creativity
00:30
to use my mind my imagination and a
00:34
career that was intellectually
00:35
stimulating career in the law and
00:36
particularly in the criminal defense law
00:38
met all of those criteria so that’s the
00:40
reason i chose to become
00:42
a criminal defense lawyer
00:48
the question of what it takes to be
00:50
successful in the courtroom really
00:52
is answered by going back before you
00:54
even step for foot in the courtroom
00:56
preparation preparation is key to be
00:59
effective
01:00
in the courtroom you need to be able to
01:01
be spontaneous
01:03
you need to be able to engage with
01:04
people particularly jurors
01:06
you need to be able to communicate
01:08
effectively and be a good storyteller
01:10
but you also have to react to situations
01:13
that you never planned
01:14
so you need to have some level of
01:15
spontaneity to be effective
01:18
spontaneously requires a tremendous
01:20
amount of preparation
01:21
so i would say the key to being
01:23
successful in the courtroom
01:24
is all the work and effort it takes to
01:26
prepare yourself to go into that courtroom