The Defense Rests…
April 9, 2010 
As you may have noticed, this blog has been in hibernation for the better part of two weeks. The reason is that work has been brutal and I literally haven’t had time for anything else. For the past two years I have worked for the United States Attorney’s Office in Boston, MA as a paralegal in the Health Care Fraud division. It’s a rewarding and challenging job, but it’s only in these past two weeks that things have been out of control.
Last Monday our unit started a two week trial against a man accused of Medicare fraud. I’ve been working consistent 10+ hour days and also coming in on weekends. We finished the evidence and argument portions of the trial two days ago, and the jury has been deliberating since. It’s a stressful time, as you sit and wait for 12 people to make a decision on something you’ve worked for months (and for the attorneys, years) on, your mind can’t help but race; is it better for us or the defense that it’s taking the jury so long to decide? Which of the jurors are on our side, which aren’t? It’s had me thinking about my workday long after I’ve left for the night and I thought it might ease my nerves (and be a fun little project), if I sat down to a marathon of films that revolve around a trial.
So without further ado, here are the films I intend to watch and give my thoughts on starting tomorrow (provided the jury can come to a damn decision).
The Trial – Orson Welles [1962]
The Wrong Man – Alfred Hitchcock [1956]
Anatomy of a Murder – Otto Preminger [1959]
The Verdict – Sidney Lumet [1982]
Witness for the Prosecution – Billy Wilder [1957]
Twelve Angry Men – Sidney Lumet [1957]
M – Fritz Lang [1931]
