For Stephen Hastings and Bill Tanner, however, for Judge Howard Dorset, this trial was merely their job. It was, in fact, just one of the many jobs they would have in their lives. One more house for a home builder. One more flight for an airline pilot. One more baby for an obstetrician or a midwife. The stakes may have been high for my family, but for the men arguing about my mother’s character and capabilities, it was just another morning out of the office, another afternoon in court.
I’ve always been fascinated by lawyers – especially trial attorneys. I spent a lot of time with two of them, a defense attorney and a prosecutor, while researching this novel. And I was struck by how, in a small state like Vermont, everyone knows everyone, and there’s a certain “across-the-aisle” camaraderie among them. For the defendant and the plaintiff, the trial is everything; for the lawyers, it might very important. . .but, in the end, they will move on to the next case and the next trial.
Terri and 18 other people liked this
