…AND JUSTICE FOR ALL?

Ernest L. Poland, Jr.
Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

At first he was just a nine-digit case number.  I was excited beyond measure when I knew I would get to meet him face to face.  Here was a troubled soul with a problem that I could actually help him with!  Suit up!  We’re goin’ after the bad guys!

It wasn’t long before I realized the utility of having ears and a mouth in that ever-present two-to-one ratio.  I quickly learned that cosmic design was intentional.  Inasmuch as he wanted me to eventually correct his legal dilemma, he immediately wanted me to hear his story.

I feverishly began taking notes on the long yellow paper. (Why is it yellow by the way?)  Several times I had him repeat himself, for I did not want to miss any details.  I hardly had time to look at my client since I am not trained as a stenographer.  He quickly answered every question.  I asked another before he was quite finished with the previous one.  When the interview was completed, I took the time to look.  At that moment I knew I should have just listened.

Do not misunderstand—facts are important.  They drive us, and one fact over another may be sufficient for the judge to rule in favor of my client.  But it was the story he had to tell that I nearly missed.  We went through it again; this time I looked into his eyes.

My client did not prevail in the courtroom.  But he was complete.  He had his day in court; he was as prepared as he could possibly have been, but unfortunately for him the gavel falls on both sides of the bench.  He understood.  I had done all that I could, and that was not enough for me to win. 

As it turns out, it was enough for my client.  We cannot guarantee results.  He understood that from the minute he walked through my door.  His definition of justice was not ‘winning’.  His definition of justice was a chance.  A chance to tell his story.  A chance that others would not just hear him, but listen.

His life will not be quite the same for some time.  Further trials and adversity face him on the road ahead.  But he has witnessed first-hand the proper administration of the laws of the land.  In doing so, he has become empowered.  In his loss, he has learned.  In his loss, I have learned even more.