Blake David’s outgoing “Letter from the President” – Louisiana Association for Justice
Musings of a Trial Lawyer Waiting For the Jury (August 2022)
“As I type this note, my last submission as President of the LAJ, I am awaiting the response of eight jurors in the Western District of Louisiana. Their verdict will have to be unanimous. This venire and jury were a trucking defense lawyer’s dream – truck drivers, dispatchers, logistics folks, insurance company employees. The jurors we ended up getting did not look great on paper, but I’m hopeful they came in open-minded. After a week of trial, I have no idea how they received the evidence I presented.
Rough week. Gave a home hum opening, fought through some tough admissibility issues throughout the trial, and just wrapped up with a decent but not spectacular closing. Violated my first rule of openings/closings – used some notes as reminders to make sure I covered all of the issues. It ruins the flow. I know better. I talked too fast. Again.