Courtney Overland

As a criminal defense attorney, I've learned that you have to acknowledge and accept that with most of my cases, despite the fact that the law says you are innocent until proven guilty, the reality is that's not how society thinks. You have to know and be prepared for the fact that you are on the defensive from second one. The mere fact that you have a client sitting there as a defendant unfortunately means that the chips are stacked against you from the beginning. If you go in knowing that, not only is it grounding, but then the things that happen along the way in a case don't upset you as much as they would if you're thinking, "no, that's not fair" - because unfortunately, a lot of what happens from the inception of a case through getting a jury verdict isn't fair. But if I keep that in mind and do the best that I can, then the little successes along the way mean that much more, and I just keep building on those.

My dad has always told me, 'Courtney, put the books aside and think logically'. That is what I try to do - think logically about something, and then find the law to support my position.

I would tell them, and I know it sounds cliche, but do not give up. No matter what happens, do not give up if there is a specific career you want to pursue. I don't care if it takes you 1 time or 20 times to pass the bar exam. It doesn't matter whether you land your first choice job, or if you get your tenth job on the list. If this is what you feel passionate about, there is always a way to make it work. It might not be exactly how you envisioned it, but every opportunity is a learning experience that builds character and will guide you to your passion.

I think the biggest challenge is that the court system is so backed up. On the civil side, when you file a complaint and your client asks when the case is going to go to trial, the courts in LA right now are calendaring trials at least 2 years out. When that happens, it's a challenge getting your client to hang in there, and you as well as a lawyer. On the criminal side, it's challenging when you're doing all your pretrial motions and the results are not what you or the client want. The client often panics and thinks maybe they should take a plea deal because it isn't looking good for trial. I try to explain to them that these are just stepping stones until we get to trial and you can't base what's going to happen at trial on what's happening now. I've had new clients who have said that they consulted with another attorney who said they should just take a plea deal. In those instances I tell them that if that's what they want to do, that's their choice, but that's not what I would advise at the beginning of a case. A decision like that can't be made, in my opinion, until I've looked at all the evidence. Those are some really big challenges.

Honesty. Being honest with myself, with my clients, and with my family. When a client or potential client calls me and asks if we're going to win or what's going to happen in the case, the first thing I tell them is that I have no idea. I can tell them what I think should happen, and once I look at the evidence I can tell them where the law and the facts are on our side and where we have some problems. But for me, or any lawyer in my opinion, tells a client 'oh yeah, this is a slam dunk, hands down, you're gonna win,' that client should run for the hills, because that is not something that anybody knows. I've lost potential clients because they don't like my honesty when I tell them that. All I can do is suggest that they find another attorney and I wish them the best.