Over the past few chapters, you have learned much about the parameters and conditions governing the introduction of evidence and protection of a defendant’s rights in a criminal trial.  This assignment requires that you interview an attorney that has worked on a criminal case in a criminal trial.  As in the previous writing assignment, you will benefit from getting his or her perspective on the “real world” of criminal prosecution.  There is always some tension between what is taught in a textbook and what is practiced in the “real world” of the administration of justice.  This is your chance to hear from a court officer that is involved in this work on a daily basis.

To complete this assignment you will need to identify and then interview an attorney that is currently, or has previously worked in the criminal courts. Your interview will focus on the legal aspects of a criminal investigation and prosecution identified in the textbook and does not have to be conducted in person. You may conduct a phone or email interview if you wish.

Your answer to this Writing Assignment needs to be written in WORD with a 10 to 12 point font size, one-inch margins, and should be between 2 and 4 pages in length (it has to be at least two full pages in length).

In order to receive full credit, your answer has to include all of the following:

1. The name and title of the criminal attorney that you interviewed.
2. The reasons why you chose to interview this particular person.
3. Your impressions of the legal officer that you interviewed.
4. A summary of  the interview you had with this attorney.  You should explain to the attorney what you have learned about the different legal rights of criminal defendants outlined in the chapters and allow the attorney to describe his or her involvement in the legal aspects of a criminal case.  You should come prepared to ask specific questions about how evidence is introduced in a criminal trial, as well as the other aspects of protecting the rights of the criminal defendant in a trial.  This will give you a good opportunity to compare and contrast what you have learned from the textbook with what is done in the “real world” of the administration of justice.  Please remember that a summary is not a transcript of what each person said.  You will want to write a summary of the interview in a narrative form using good paragraph structure (this portion of the paper is the most significant and should make up the majority of your paper) .
5. The long-term impact of the experience on you (including whether you are more or less interested in the law as a possible career).