Corp Counsel Wins One

And to win it, they had to spend money:

• This week city attorneys defending a Chicago Police officer who was sued for the shooting death of a man used a new animation technique that came as close to CSI as it gets.

  A jury found in favor of the city and the officer Tuesday after a six-day trial.

  "The jury thinks we can do everything CSI does,'' city attorney Matt Hurd said. "When we can use this CSI stuff, it's something a jury can relate to.''

• Law department officials said they are not aware of another case where the animation was used. It's costly -- $15,000 in this case. The animation will be considered for use on a case-by-case basis.

Corp Counsel has to present not only the best case possible, but they have to present the flashiest case with all the bells and whistles to overcome the inherent stupidity always present in juries, especially Cook County juries. This "CSI-effect" has been the subject of numerous studies where jurors just assume that everything they see on TV is true and complicated cases can be solved in 60 minutes, including the commercial breaks. If only that were true, the jails would be full to overflowing and personal injury attorneys would be selling pencils on street corners.

We heard that after this "CSI-type" presentation, the plaintiff's attorney actually stood and applauded before his colleagues were able to drag him back into his seat. We may have made that up just now.