by Jennifer Little
While watching the playoff games last Sunday, I was surprised to see a flag thrown for a completely unintentional, non-malicious bump of quarterback Aaron Rogers’ helmet. While discussing the call and resulting penalty with friends, I realized there are several parallels that can be drawn between the sport and the profession that I love so much.
Just as in football, a court of law has its players. Everyone comes to the big game dressed in uniforms and ready for a fight. Weeks of preparation, along with a bit of nerves, underscore the importance of the action at hand. The national anthem is sung and the teams meet in the middle of the field for the coin toss; attorneys hear the “all rise” and meet at the bench to join issue.
The attorneys are the coaches. They call the plays, guide the players and design a game plan according to the strengths and weaknesses of the teams. In the end, the result comes only from that game, with those players, and how it was played that day. It comes from your witnesses, your evidence, and how you choose to present them. Just as the coach has to stand back when his players take the field, the attorney must sit down when he puts his witness on the stand and subject him to the rigors of the defense. Attorneys and coaches always have their game plan, a certain mindset of how the game should proceed. But just as in sports, attorneys are acutely aware that what happens on the field is oftentimes nothing like the plan. There are unexpected interceptions and fumbles. Sometimes you get the ball back right away, but other times you cannot recover.