It's a Man's World

By Shannon

I love being a woman.  I love everything about it.  Well... except maybe those yearly exams.  Yuck!  Other than that I love being a woman.  Unfortunately I find that I am sometimes handicapped in my profession because of my gender.  I never believed gender discrimination existed until I became a lawyer.  I find I am a victim of it on a regular basis now that I am surrounded by people who swore to uphold the Constitution.  Ironic considering the Constitution grants the right to freedom from discrimination on the basis of gender.  Here are some excerpts from my current trial:

(You need to know that while most defense lawyers maintain the highest standards of ethics and morality, the one in this case embodies EVERYTHING that makes people hate and distrust attorneys.  He is a disgrace to my profession, but I digress...)

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Male defense lawyer:  "I'm trying to show how the State bought and paid for this man's testimony by agreeing to let him plea guilty and sentence him to only 20 years in exchange for his honest testimony!"

My male boss and the defense lawyer get into a massive argument because the defense lawyer has crossed the line into unethical behavior by slandering the State without any proof.

Male Judge:  "Well, this is probably my fault.  Everyone's tired and I pushed y'all an extra 5 minutes.  Let's all shake hands and quit for the day."

THE NEXT DAY

Male defense lawyer:  "How did the state buy your testimony?"

My male boss:  "Objection!  I object to the word 'buy'!"

Male Judge:  "Sustained."

Male defense lawyer:  "What did they give you to purchase your testimony?"

My male boss:  "Objection!  I object to the word 'purchased'!"

Male Judge:  "Sustained."

NOW CONTRAST THAT WITH THIS FROM LATER THE SAME DAY:

Male defense attorney to murder victim's daughter:  "How many acting classes have you taken?"

Witness:  "None."

Male defense attorney:  "Then how did you learn to cry on cue for your performance here today?"

ME:  "Objection!  I object to the word 'performance'!"

Male Judge:  "Overruled, counselor.  I cannot tell an attorney what he can or can't say.  Didn't they teach you the First Amendment in law school?!  Shame on you!"

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If only I'd remembered my place.