A Fool for a Client by David Kessler Read Free Book Online

him,” said the DA, smiling facetiously.
    “And he ’ s Black,” said Abrams, determined to emphasize the fact. “We ’ ve got a black lawyer defending a Jew. The press ’ ll love it.”
    The DA shook his head.
    “Let me tell you something about the legal process Danny boy.”
    Daniel Abrams looked up at the DA, putting his pen down.
    “OK let ’ s hear the latest pearl of wisdom from the forensic foundation of omniscience.”
    The DA, who tended more towards the streetwise than the academically inclined, let the remark pass over his head without comment.
    “We know that there are advantages and disadvantages to conducting ones own defence. The main disadvantage is that the average citizen doesn ’ t know the law, and even if he does he doesn ’ t know courtroom technique. Even when a defendant uses skilful courtroom technique it often comes over as self-serving and tends to alienate the jury. He looks like he ’ s just plain cunning and out to beat the system. On the other hand the defendant often comes over as the victim of the system, or as the hero who ’ s taking on the establishment, especially a cute number like the one you ’ ve got in the firing line.”
    “So what ’ s the good news?”
    “Well the way things stand now, it ’ s still an amateur up against the professionals. But with a court-appointed standby, it looks like she ’ s being properly defended. That means that her mistakes will hurt her, but she won ’ t get the sympathy of the lone warrior swimming against the powerful tide.”
    “You ’ re mixing your metaphors,” said Abrams, shaking his head. “Anyway, it may sound all right in theory, but you weren ’ t in court this morning.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “I ’ m saying your assessment is wrong. Any which way she ’ s going to look like the underdog going uphill against the odds! You know how the public roots for the underdog. Hell with her looks and this own-defence gimmick she ’ d be odds-on favourite if the cops had caught her standing over the victim with a smoking magnum!”
    “Considering Murphy was poisoned that doesn ’ t surprise me,” replied the DA through a childish smile. “Unless you mean a frothing magnum. But then again it was supposedly poisoned tequila.”
    Abrams made a sweeping gesture of his hand, dismissing the DA ’ s facetious remark.
    “Look cut the wisecracks Jerry. You know what I ’ m getting at.”
    “So what do you suggest I do?” asked the DA.
    “Let me assign it to a woman, preferably a young, attractive one.”
    “It won ’ t work. The local press has latched on to the fact that she ’ s Jewish.
    “Well no one can accuse us of anti-Semitism! A third of the staff are circumcised.”
    “They might accuse us of bending over backwards to prove that we ’ re not philosemitic . This whole issue is just too sensitive. If we drop it we look bad. If we fight it we look bad. But at least if we fight it we don ’ t have to take responsibility for the outcome. And we ’ ve got a Grand Jury indictment to justify bringing the case in the first place.”
    “All right I ’ m not saying we have to drop it, but at least let ’ s pull the rug out from under the anatomic bombshell by putting up a woman in the opposite corner.”
    The DA was shaking his head. “You ’ re thinking of how it ’ ll look to the jury. If you want to step into my shoes you ’ d better learn to start thinking about how it looks to all those millions of people watching the seven O ’ clock news.”
    “Why should they object to a lady lawyer?”
    “They won ’ t. But as long as the press is making an issue of the fact that it ’ s a Justine Levy , it has to be one of your people waving the cape.”
    “We ’ ve got Jewish women on the staff. What about Hannah Segal?”
    Jerry Wilkins shook his head.
    “Wet behind the ears. She ’ s not ready for this kind of heavy-duty tsurus.”
    “Well there ’ s Debbie Winkler. She ’ s got a good track