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This series legit made me become a lawyer (with BONUS story)Topic%20Title

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I'd like to share my story with fellow fans of the series as I thought it would be an interesting read for those who care to read.

How I chose to become a lawyer:

I first got into the series with my first game, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney on the NDS in 2007. I was studying Digital Media and just happened to come across the game and I thought a "lawyer" game looked interesting, so I picked it up. My first case was Turnabout Trump, which holds a special place for me as it is the case that got me into the series. The biggest memory I had of it was the rush I got when I presented the photo of Phoenix sitting next to the bottles for how his upside-down fingerprints got onto the bottle (such a subtle yet awesome way to point out that objection). As I continued to finish the game, I moved onto the original trilogy and have since played every game in the series. However, by the time my studies finished in 2008, I had already developed a huge interest in becoming a lawyer. Mainly because (and the reason I tell everyone I became a lawyer to this day) is the fact that I loved 'using my brain to solve problems and win cases'. It's obviously much different in the real world, however it still kind of applies where I now use knowledge of case law and legislation to find solutions for clients to either help them get their not guilty verdicts or help lighten their sentences. Anyway, I then used my marks from my Media course to get into Law starting from 2009 and have since opened my own criminal law firm.

It's funny how a game could have such a big impact on someone's life. It's also why I don't tell many people that the reason I became a lawyer was thanks to a game as it would probably not give me the greatest rep in the legal community :phoenix:

Bonus story/case:

Anyway, now for the bonus story/case that I had where I feel like it was actually a 'Phoenix Wright' moment. (Although cases are to remain confidential, given that I won't name names and jurisdictions, it should be ok to discuss the basic of the case without getting into too much detail).

While I was working as an employee for another criminal law firm, it was commonplace to be given a case the day before. Normally sentences which don't need too much preparation. However, I was given a full-blown defended hearing LESS THAN 24 HOURS before the hearing, as the lawyer with carriage of the matter was no longer available to do it. I took the case file home and had thought the 'brief of evidence' was in the file (containing all witness statements, photos, and all evidence for the case) and had planned to read it on the train to court on the morning of the hearing. Low and behold, when I got onto the train on the morning of the hearing, THERE WAS NO BRIEF IN THE FILE. So I get to court, meet the client for the first time and not knowing much about the case (Phoenix Wright moment right here). In short, it was a "supply drug" hearing where they charged the client with supplying illegal drugs due to the 'amount of drugs' that was found in his car. Meaning that, while he wasn't caught in the act of supplying, he will be found guilty of supplying unless the defence can prove it was for personal use (similar again to Phoenix Wright where usually the defence is the one that needs to prove its case, unlike most cases in real life).

Anyway, continuing on, I got a copy of the brief of evidence from the prosecution and quickly went through some statements to get a general gist of the matter. Mainly, they saw the client, who was known to police, in his car dozing off and decided to do a search of his car which he consented to. I had a little less than half an hour to prepare for the case. Again, a supply drug case which is considered a serious matter. Once the hearing started, I was in the same position as the Judge in respect of the fact that I was seeing most of the evidence for the first time during the actual hearing :udgey:

The primary basis the police suspected the client of intending to supply was: One, the amount of drugs found and, two, the fact that he had about 10 empty resealable plastic bags in his car (normally a sign of intention to supply as they use to separate drugs from their big packaging to sell).

I picked up on two main points during the hearing and made mental notes. Again, without going into too much detail, I was hearing all of this for the first time. One, during the video of the search of his car, they found a burnt spoon and also a small metal tin for carrying cigarettes that some people like to use to separate from the original cigarette box and carry. Two, the police officer in charge gave testimony that there was "drug residue found INSIDE the empty resealable bags". I made mental notes of these during the testimonies. My client also gave evidence that, due to him being a drug addict, he liked to separate them (drugs) from the big plastic bag filled with drugs to control his usage.

In closing, the prosecution said that there was no need for the client to separate the drugs from original packaging into smaller bags as he could just consume it from the original bag. Together, with the weight and the bags, they held that he was intending to supply.

In defence closing argument, I made several points from what I picked up during the hearing. I noted that firstly, there was evidence of drug residue inside the bags PROVING that he used these bags to store his drugs to control his usage. Otherwise, why would he have used bags rather than new bags to put drugs in and sell. Secondly, while the prosecution insisted there was no need to separate his drug from original packaging to control his usage, I brought up what normally would have been thought to be "irrelevant" evidence. That is, the metal tin of cigarettes found in the search. I argued that, while it was not NEEDED to separate from original packaging, people REGARDLESS chose to have metal tin cigarettes, just like my client, to separate cigarettes from original packaging to control their usage. I argued he did the exact same with the "drug in question". Together with the evidence of the "burnt spoon" found in his car which showed clear usage on his part, I argued that it was all for personal use.

Ultimately, we got a verdict of NOT GUILTY for supply and won our case! (He was still charged with possession which is a lesser charge, but we never argued against that and intended to plea guilty to that from the start).

All in all, that was probably the closest thing to my Phoenix Wright moment of my career so far. It felt great after too, winning a big case with no prep.

Hope you guys enjoyed my story :phoenix: feel free to ask any questions! Thank you for reading.
Re: This series legit made me become a lawyer (with BONUS stTopic%20Title
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Wow, great story...

I would not be so lucky. In my country the lawyers are corrupt and the law system is shitty. And court cases are not just about logic, but about presentation - if your Autopsy has a single minor typo in it, it is completely ignored - nevermind the fact that it completely tells the truth and is decisive evidence that puts the real killer behind bars...
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Re: This series legit made me become a lawyer (with BONUS stTopic%20Title

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Student678 wrote:
Wow, great story...

I would not be so lucky. In my country the lawyers are corrupt and the law system is shitty. And court cases are not just about logic, but about presentation - if your Autopsy has a single minor typo in it, it is completely ignored - nevermind the fact that it completely tells the truth and is decisive evidence that puts the real killer behind bars...


Oh really? Jeez. Our system is a lot more practical. Even to the point where sometimes the actual charge is amended DURING a hearing "in the interest of justice".

I have had a hearing where the dates of the offence didn't cover the witness' testimony. The law states that the particulars of the charge may be amended during a hearing IF it doesn't cause an unfairness to the defendant. Over here though, the Judges/Magistrates essentially run the cases the way they want, which also means if they think someone is guilty, they will find a way to use the laws to find them guilty and are generally a bit too practical. In this case, it was found not to be unfair so the amendment was made..
Re: This series legit made me become a lawyer (with BONUS stTopic%20Title
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Oh man that is a great story and I’m so happy it inspired you to become a lawyer! I keep wondering if professions will get weirder as people inspired by pop culture take up professions and subtly make them ever so slightly more like the pop culture they inspired it from xD


I hope it stays fun and fulfilling for all your days!
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Re: This series legit made me become a lawyer (with BONUS stTopic%20Title

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Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:16 am

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Pierre wrote:
Oh man that is a great story and I’m so happy it inspired you to become a lawyer! I keep wondering if professions will get weirder as people inspired by pop culture take up professions and subtly make them ever so slightly more like the pop culture they inspired it from xD


I hope it stays fun and fulfilling for all your days!


Thanks!

I was surprised myself a game inspired me lol. But I guess anything can inspire you to do what you love and I don't regret it. Maybe it was something that was always there but I just needed that taste of it to make me start pursuing it.
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