Why do i want to be a lawyer again???

[AngieDoogles]

Originally Posted by NicoleMarcelle

thanks guys... i wouldn't do this if i was trying to win a trial... my collegues are in the same situation as i am, so they're not much help... i was fishing to see if there were lawyers on here who could help me out...as for the word impossible... k ditched...

as for the positive in my defendant...

she's a druggie, has been for a long time...she stabbed the social worker with an hiv infected needle... has pleaded guilty, and is being accused of assault. she has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to get clean, and says she loves her kid (whom a cop and social worker came to take out of the house, bc it was unsafe) but she shoots up drugs right next to him... so this one is getting harder and harder, bc any possible defense gets badgered by the prosecutor... so i'm going with " she needs her kid to get sober, and she does have the ability to be rehabilitated as per psychologist..."

when i posted i was frustrated bc i didn't to well on my opening statement... but i'll try to do better on the rest of the trial stuff

Uh oh, I'm a social worker in training. I hope this never happens to me!!!

Possible positives for the defendant: She acknowledges that she's done something wrong (she pleaded guilty). She has tried several times to get clean--this shows that she WANTS to change even though she has been unsuccessful so far. She now realizes that she might lose her child which could cause her to make positive changes.

Does she have other family? A job? Education? Outside resources? Accomplishments? Is her child dressed properly? Does he/she receive adequate food? What did she do before the addiction? These kinds of questions can help you find lots of positives...

If you have any more information about the defendant, I can try to help you find more positives. We do it all the time in my social work courses so I have some practice. We're given scenarios JUST like this one and use what is called a "strengths based perspective." It's really quite interesting.

Good luck with your case!