LEX CANIS THE
In Defense of the Damned Not My Idea of a Summer Break
This month, I’m headed to Wyoming for an eight-day conference at The Trial Lawyers College called In Defense of the Damned. The
hands is a terrible burden. Only when you start to truly appreciate that burden does the anxiety start to emerge. When I agree to represent a client, it’s a long, personal, and intimate relationship. They become far more than a defendant. They become part of the extended family of the firm. With as many hours and as much energy as I’ve poured into each case, I start to feel and empathize with what the person is experiencing. Even though I’m not the one on trial, nor is there any risk I will go to prison, my client’s fears become more vivid and real than any other time in my career. I dedicate so much time and money to my continuing education because there’s so much on the line for these clients. I spend substantial time and money each year to further train myself in this subject matter. The Trial Lawyer’s College has two of the best programs in the country for my practice area, and In Defense of the Damned is certainly one of them. This course is perfectly designed for my specific area of the law. In Defense of the Damned acknowledges those lawyers out there fighting for their clients with everything they’ve got. While the course is amazing, it’s going to be a long and challenging eight days. The program will take place at Thunderhead Ranch, run and owned by Gerry Spence. The location gives little comfort — no internet, no cell service, and two attorneys to a room, spartan bunkhouse
Berlin Law Firm • DefendingTulsa.com Last month, I asked you to find that amazing vacation that you have put off and go do it this summer. Please do as I say and not as I do. I will need to live through your vacations this summer, so please do not forget to send those photos to DefendingTulsa@gmail.com. - Lee Berlin The course is all about “doing.” The participants won’t simply listen to lectures; each attorney will put on every aspect of the case in front of their small group. Constructive criticism all day, every day is the norm. I know it will make me better. I’ve been through it before at the National Criminal Defense College, but this is a step beyond even that. Not my idea of a good time. This course also has a significant amount of psychodrama and touchy-feely get-to- know-yourself mumbo jumbo. If you think for a second that a 45-year-old sex crimes defense attorney wants to get to know themselves, I mean really know themselves, you are seriously mistaken. I prefer to keep all of my tucked-away, hidden, repressed, and pharmaceutically boxed-up issues from my childhood right where they are, thank you very much. Putting them on display in front of 50-plus strangers isn’t at the top of my want-to-do list. living. Creature comforts have been eliminated and replaced by an exclusive focus on personal and professional development.
course is dedicated to criminal defense attorneys who deal with the most serious cases — death-penalty cases and sex crimes. The entire program is going to be mentally and emotionally arduous. Attending this course is expensive, inconvenient, difficult, and stressful, but I believe this is a program I must complete to become the best trial lawyer possible. I must seek out and complete the most challenging and advanced trial practice course I can find. In every one of the cases I see in my practice, each of my clients faces a massive prison sentence — if I lose, the consequences are catastrophic. I’ve been in this business for around 18 years, and these years have mainly been spent either in trial or preparing for trial — these activities dominate every part of my practice. There are times when I get nervous or anxious going to trial, and this happens more often today than any other time in my career. It comes from the belief that I’m the only one standing in the way of my client going to prison. The weight of a person’s freedom — sometimes for the rest of their life — in my
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Ben Fu for Tulsa County District Attorney I have known Ben for over 9 years and recently met with him to discuss how he will make the Tulsa DA’s office better. After our meeting, I made a donation to his campaign because I believe he can fix that broken office. Ben has a plan — a real, workable plan that I believe will improve Tulsa County. The current DA, despite his statements during election season, believes in convictions and prison for everyone. There is currently an absence of judgement and common sense in the office. As a line prosecutor and team supervisor, Ben handled all types of cases, from juvenile division to robberies and murders. In 2015, Ben founded and became the first director of the Special Victims Unit, where he developed a team of prosecutors specializing in sex crimes and domestic murders. During his eight years at the DA’s office, Ben tried over 50 felony jury trials to verdict. Ben left the DA’s office last year. Since then, he has been running his own practice here in Tulsa. However, Ben is a prosecutor at heart and that is where his passion lies. Ben has watched record- setting murder rates and headlines proclaiming Tulsa as one of the 10 most violent cities in the U.S. under the current DA. Ben realized that there must be a change at the DA’s office. The district attorney’s office is plagued with underfunding and record turnover. Ben sees an office that lost the trust of the police and the community as well as an administration that is out of ideas. Ben promises to restore the damaged relationship between the District Attorney’s Office and our police, and he has a plan to do it. I am voting for Ben, and I ask you to join me on election day. Don’t worry: If I am wrong, it can’t get any worse than it is now. I’m voting for the guy with a plan, vision, and ideas. Ben has a plan to fix the office. The current DA will tell you everything is fine. It’s not. It’s broken and must be fixed.
Honorable Clifford Smith for Associate District Judge We are proud to endorse Judge Cliff Smith for Associate District Judge. Judge Smith has served almost 20 years on the bench as a Special Judge and is now running for Associate District Judge in Tulsa County District 14. Judge Smith’s experience, judgement, professionalism, knowledge, and judicial temperament are much needed within the ranks of Tulsa’s District Judges. I have appeared before Judge Smith hundreds of times as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. I can say without hesitation or reservation he is one of the finest judges I have practiced in front of over the past 17–18 years. Judge Cliff Smith is worthy of your vote, and Tulsa County will be a better place with him as a District Judge. I ask you to join us at the Berlin Law Firm and Judge Smith’s thousands of fans and supporters, and vote for Judge Smith on June 26, 2018. Cliff Smith is a native Tulsan and graduate of David Webster High School, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Kansas. Judge Smith lives in Jenks, Oklahoma with his wife, Christy, where they are avid plantsmen, OU football fans, and anglers. In addition to Judge Smith’s service on the bench in two separate counties, he has also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Tulsa and Okmulgee counties along with serving as an indigent defense attorney in Okmulgee. Judge Smith not only has the time on the bench, but he has significant time on both sides of the aisle in the trenches. In my opinion, judicial temperament is the most important quality of a great Judge. You can be a brilliant lawyer and judge, but if you lack the judicial temperament for the job, none of it matters. Decisiveness, compassion, open-mindedness, sensitivity, courtesy, patience, freedom from bias, and commitment to equal justice are on display daily with Judge Smith. The citizens of Tulsa County deserve more people like Judge Smith. I vote we give him more responsibility and influence and the opportunity to show others in a similar position of authority what right looks like.
2 Berlin Law Firm • 918-770-0172
Parents Watch Free
Is Movie Pass Right for Your Family?
ARE YOU A MOVIE FAMILY? Do you go to the movies often as a family? Or do you and your spouse need more date-night options? With the $9.95 monthly subscription fee, as long as the pass holder in your family sees more than one movie a month, you are saving money. This can be a great encouragement to see more films, whether as a family or individually. IS 3D A MUST? The one catch of Movie Pass is that it will only get you into standard 2D movies. If you and the family want the 3D experience, you’ll have to pay for it separately. If enough theaters in your area participate, your family enjoys going to the movies, and you’re not set on seeing 3D movies, Movie Pass can be a great investment. But if the answer is no to any of these questions, you’re probably better off just buying tickets at the box office.
Superheroes, robots, and dinosaurs, oh my! The 2018 blockbuster season is in full swing, and chances are your kids don’t want to miss out on the action. But these days, going to the movies costs an arm and a leg — and that’s before you buy the popcorn. One service is looking to change this. If you’ve watched the news at all in the last year, chances are you’ve heard the buzz about Movie Pass. It’s a subscription service in which one user pays $9.95 a month in exchange for four free movie tickets each month at participating theaters. While initially envisioned for college students and film aficionados, could Movie Pass be right for your family? WHERE DO YOU LIVE? The first thing you should do when considering whether to sign up for the pass is research which theaters in your area take the pass and which don’t. If you have to make a long drive just to get to a participating theater, it’s probably not worth subscribing.
Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Inspired Be
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1 large egg yolk
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2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
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1 1/2 ounces store- bought waffle cones, lightly crushed
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4 pints ice cream (any flavor)
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1 1/2 cups oats
low. Once integrated, slowly add browned butter; blend until dough forms a solid mass around blades. and place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls and bake 12–15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. 6. Let cool, then spread ice cream between cookies to make sandwiches. 7. Freeze for up to 5 days — or enjoy today! 5. Form dough into 26 balls
1. Heat oven to 350 F. While oven is heating, cook butter in saucepan over medium heat until browned, 5–8 minutes. Scrape browned butter into a heatproof measuring glass. 2. Pulse waffle cones, oats, flour, and salt in a food processor or blender. Once cones are finely ground, add brown sugar and pulse again. 3. Whisk egg yolk, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. 4. Add egg mixture to food processor while spinning on
inspired by Bon Appetit
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Berlin Law Firm • DefendingTulsa.com
NEW ADDRESS 8516 E. 101st Street, Suite A Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
We didn’t go far. We are still located in the Park Place Business Complex, directly across the parking lot from our old office.
WE HAVE MOVED
8516 E. 101st Street, Suite A Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133
Phone: 918-770-0172 DefendingTulsa.com
Inside This Issue
Trial Lawyers College Page 1
Honorable Clifford Smith for Associate District Judge Ben Fu for Tulsa County District Attorney Page 2
Invest in Movie Nights Page 3
Workouts With a Twist Make Exercise Fun This Summer
Summer is a time for fun! The days are longer, so why waste the extra sunlight trapped on a treadmill? There are plenty of great opportunities to exercise without feeling bored out of your mind. Consider one of these fun activities you may have never tried before. STAND-UP PADDLEBOARDING Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is the fastest growing water sport in the world, and it’s pretty simple. You stand on a paddleboard — like a surfboard, but wider and more buoyant — and use a long paddle to glide across the water. It’s the simplicity that makes SUP fun. You can battle fierce river rapids and waves on the ocean, or
enjoy a more relaxing experience paddling across wide lakes and lazy rivers. Whatever your skill level, you’re building core strength, improving your balance, and getting some fresh air. RACQUETBALL In order to play racquetball, you need to have access to a racquetball court. If you can find a court near you, this game is certainly worth trying. It’s the intense cousin of tennis. Instead of hitting the ball back and forth over a net, racquetball players take turns hitting the ball against a wall. This creates momentum, and the ball moves much faster, so there’s a lot of jumping and lunging across the court as players try to reach the ball before it can
bounce twice. Bring a water bottle, because you’re sure to sweat during this cardio workout.
INDOOR BOULDERING Bouldering is a form of rock climbing using a boulder rather than the side of a cliff. You can bring the activity indoors, where artificial climbing walls and safety mats help climbers ease into the sport. This pastime works your arm muscles and core, but it also challenges your mind. There’s a lot of problem-solving as you figure out the best way to navigate the wall. Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore. There are plenty of great ways to work up a sweat and still make great memories this summer. You just have to be willing to try something new.
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