Fashion Victims

Some folks think of public defenders as disheaveled and sleepy eyed, with shoulderless frames from which hang cheap suits. On the other hand, the public image of a private defense attorney is of a shark-like dude with slicked back hair and an expensive Italian suit with a bit too much sheen to it. Then there's the fairytale image of a criminal defense investigator as either a sexy woman in a trench coat and stillettos, or a not so sexy, cigar smoking, overweight ex-cop. Most of the people who do this kind of work don't fit into these neat little cubbie holes. In fact, some defense attorneys' unique grooming choices have become their calling card. Examples of this, by category, are:

HATS - No one wore a hat better or bigger than the late Gladys Towles Root. She died inside a courtroom in Pomona in 1982, wearing all gold. My mother served as a juror on a rape trial where Ms. Root represented the defendant. The defendant was acquitted, no easy feat where my mother was concerned, but Ms. Root made her case. Ms. Root would be proud that her tradition of wearing hats lives on in Cincinatti criminal defense attorney Les Gaines. Love that derby!

BOWTIES - Best examples of this are: Gerry Schwartzbach , of Robert Blake and Keenan counsel fame, and Stephen Rosen, "sage" of the San Francisco Public Defender's office. Stephen is also the proud husband of a female criminal defense investigator.

FRINGED LEATHER JACKETS - Gerry Spence. Author of the best of the O.J. books imo. There's something I have always wondered tho: does he own several different coats of the same style, or is he always wearing the same exact coat? I suppose I could always email him.

HAWAIIAN SHIRTS - Magnum PI wore these on the mean streets of Hawaii, but defense attorney Jon Rankin wears them with ties in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed courtrooms of Marin.

HANDLEBAR MOUSTACHES - I've seen a few of these on California defense attorneys, tho in searching the web, at least one of them in San Diego is now down to just a bushy moustache. This was the trademark of Johnny B. Mostiler, the lone Public Defender of Spalding County, Georgia, who died of a heart attack on April Fool's Day of 2000. He was also known for driving around in a mustard green 1972 El Dorado. What I wouldn't do for a photo of him to post. Here's one living example of a handlebar moustache tho: Ed A. Loss. I wonder if he's the same person as this handlebar moustached Ed Loss.

MEN WITH LONG HAIR AND PONY TAILS - This is almost like the defense "uniform." It's mandatory that every public defender's office has a few guys with hair below the collar. Here is just a small, small sampling of what's out there: Michael Yamamoto (no photo, search as I might), the temporarily unlicensed Tony Serra, Solano County Chief Deputy Public Defender Michael Ogul, Harvard boxer Thomas Mesereau, and Yolo County's Barry "the Fish" Melton (at least in spirit).

SPATS - yep, I saved the most flamboyant for last. Recently, a young male public defender in Los Angeles took to wearing spats to court. Rumors abound as to what exactly happened, but last I heard, he had gone back to classic oxfords. There was some public outcry as to freedom of expression. My take on this is, hey, whatever works for your clients.

As a field investigator, my own fashion of choice is a pair of khaki chinos, a simple cotton shirt, a funky necklace and a sensible pair of shoes. Nothing flashy, but hopefully not dowdy either.

I can't think of anything too outlandish that I've seen worn by fellow c.d. investigators, which is why I picked on the attorneys for this post. There's an investigator from San Francisco whom I've never seen without his thin leather vest on, but that's about as predictable as we investigators get.

True Believers

The term True Believer was coined in 1951 by Eric Hoffer who wrote a book of the same name, subtitled: "Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements." Hoffer's website describes the book as "an examination of the types of individuals who tend to join and foster those destructive (and sometimes creative) fanatical causes which have wreaked such havoc in our time." Here's more about Hoffer: www.erichoffer.net

In 1997, M. Lamar Keene wrote about "true believer syndrome." Keene defined it as people's adamant belief in paranormal events even after they are presented with evidence that said events were staged. Apparently Keene's theories can also be applied to cults and causes. Here's more: http://skepdic.com/truebeliever.html

To me, a true believer in our line of work is someone with passion, dedication and an honest belief that the work provides a vital service. It's not suprising that some of our true believers are so villified, since for lots of people an innocent client is a paranormal event, and no amount of evidence we present will change their mind. Most folks don't know the evidence, just that the client is charged in the first place. Nor do they probably realize that unless every defendant gets a vigorous defense than we'll never know whose guilty and whose not. Okay, okay, let me get down from here before I fall.

A must see movie for any aspiring or working criminal defense investigator (CDI) is True Believer, starring James Wood, Robert Downey Jr. and Margaret Colin, who plays CDI Kitty Greer. The Kitty character was supposedly based on two different female CDI's/true believers from the Bay Area. Eddie Dodd, the attorney lead, was modeled after charismatic San Francisco attorney Tony Serra, the ultimate true believer. Don't know how much he truly believes in showing up for court, but I've seen him speak and his delivery exceeded all my expectations. I watch the movie from time to time to charge me up for the work. Great Tony info here: http://talkleft.com/new_archives/014442.html Here's some memorable quotes from the movie: http://imdb.com/title/tt0098524/quotes

Another movie that does it for me as an investigator is Class Action, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. One inaccuracy is that lefty attorney Jedediah Ward, played by Hackman, is shown doing the footwork that an investigator would usually do. However, the movie is still a realistic depiction when it shows Hackman traveling out to the ramshackle house of the eccentric scientist to inteview him and receiving information which blows the case open. Respected Bay Area Judge Thelton Henderson makes an appearance in the movie playing a judge, as does the film's legal advisor, Richard Zitrin. Zitrin, who in real life is a professor, pro bono attorney and ... (you guessed it) true believer, makes an appearance as a prosecutor. He's also the co-author of The Moral Compass of the American Lawyer.

I love that defense work takes me into places and psyches that I would not normally go. The true believer in the photo for this post is EXACTLY the kind of off-the-beaten-path person that is often a witness. I get to talk to him about the crime, and as an added bonus I get to hear all about how he came to stand on a street corner pitching for Jesus to begin with. But first, I have to find him. And to do that, I might have to talk to the 5 other street preachers downtown, until I find the right one. So let me go and I'll see you tomorrow.