During emotional testimony, witnesses sometimes cry in court. It's part of the courtroom drama.
But it's unusual to see a lawyer cry -- at all, much less in a public forum. It could also be really upsetting for the client, who might be the next one to cry.
So if you are an attorney, don't let them see you cry in court. Just consider a prosecutor's experience in the Paul Manafort trial ...
"Tears in Your Eyes"
Prosecutors are trying really hard in the Paul Manafort trial. But Judge T.S. Ellis has beat back the government attorneys on different fronts.
Apparently, it reached an emotional breaking point for one lawyer. The judge thought prosecutor Greg Andres was crying.
"I understand how frustrated you are," Ellis said during a sidebar. "In fact, there's tears in your eyes right now."
Andres said he wasn't crying, but the judge jumped back on him: "Well, they're watery." No cameras in federal courts, so you have to imagine what it looked like from the transcript:
"Look at Me When You're Talking to Me"
"Look at me when you're talking to me," the judge barked.
"I'm sorry, judge, I was," Andres said.
"No, you weren't," the judge dug in. "You were looking down."
"Because I don't want to get in trouble for some facial expression," the prosecutor said. "I don't want to get yelled at again by the court for having some facial expression when I'm not doing anything wrong, but trying my case."
Now that's a courtroom drama. Can't wait to see if the prosecutor gets convicted.
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Related Resources:
- Should Jurors Be Removed for Crying? (FindLaw's Strategist)
- Why Sometimes Lawyers Should Work Alone (FindLaw's Strategist)
- Ethical Dilemma: Taking a 'Good' Case for a 'Bad' Cause (FindLaw's Strategist)
