Wrapping it Up- 7.28

7.18- Piece of PIE

            This week has been quite busy at work, which is a nice change from last week. Tessa has Susan and me working on a few projects that are all interesting and have been very enlightening as to differences between our laws. Additionally, we had a lecture/ discussion this morning that I would also like to highlight as it was very interesting.

Off to Wonderland...7.14

I have less to say about work this week as last week was kind of thin. TP gave us Friday off because it was Independence Day, which we celebrated with a an American pot luck, then we had Monday off because his fiancée was coming back from Taiwan, where she had been living for the past two years, then we worked Tuesday, Wednesday there was a national strike over petrol prices, we worked Thursday, and then left Thursday night for Lesotho so we didn’t work Friday.

Roadtrip to Appeals Court- 7.02

TP took Susan and I to the appeals court in Pietermaritzburg (PMB, as it is called by the cool kids), which is a city about 45 minutes away on Tuesday. I was particularly invested in this trip because the appeal was a case that I had worked on. This was the same matter I visited prison for. Two men had been arrested for armed robbery. The case had hinged on the issue of two alternate realities, the one given by the complaintant and the one given by the accused.

Roadtrip to Appeals Court- 7.02

TP took Susan and I to the appeals court in Pietermaritzburg (PMB, as it is called by the cool kids), which is a city about 45 minutes away on Tuesday. I was particularly invested in this trip because the appeal was a case that I had worked on. This was the same matter I visited prison for. Two men had been arrested for armed robbery. The case had hinged on the issue of two alternate realities, the one given by the complaintant and the one given by the accused.

A Change of Scenary- 6.29

Another week and a half has gone by. It was not particularly busy at work. Susan and I went to Cape Town last weekend. We had an incredible time. The nicest part of being there was that we didn’t have to worry about walking around at night just the two of us.

Off to Prison Again- 6.20

            Went to prison again yesterday. This was quite different than the last time. TP had assigned me to an appeal matter regarding armed robbery. There were two accused who had both been convicted and sentenced to the minimum which was 15 years in prison. I had done the research and read through the record and the judgment and in my opinion there was reasonable doubt. The judge agreed with me and hence the granting of an appeal.

Appeal Issues- 6.19

I want to address the issue of appeals. Some of my feelings on it might result from inexperience or ignorance, so I want to give that disclaimer. But many of the cases I have been working on have been appeal issues and it has developed a sense of confusion and frustration towards appeals.

An Assertive Judge in the Suburbs- 6.15

It has been a while since I have written and there is good reason for that. I kept putting it off and then when I was planning on doing it, I got the horrible stomach bug that Susan had suffered just a week earlier. I didn’t go to work on Thursday or Friday and while both those times would have been good to write, that would have necessitated sitting up which was not an appealing notion at the time.

6/08- "Ghetto Court"

They kept telling me, "It's the Bronx times 10," but that was all speculation based on what they had seen on TV since none of them has ever actually been to New York City.

 All of the WashU kids have left for their class in Cape Town so that leaves Susan and I at the office just the two of us. Typically we were working in the board room, but because the Board is being audited, we have been working in the cubicles. The combination of circumstances has meant that Susan and I have had a great opportunity to get to know more people in the office. Most notably, we have befriended Semo and Aslam, both of whom are incredibly nice guys who are eager to teach us and have a cultural exchange. I also met a gentleman the other day who I discussed politics and current events with and I think we both walked away from the encounter knowing much more about each other’s countries and excited to learn more. He also offered to take Susan and I out with some of his friends, which we are excited to hear because we are eager to hang out with some locals.

Work has been a bit slow this week because of the audit and Susan and I have been looking for work since we finished our journal applications. We talked to Aslam about the possibility of doing some work with him. He suggested that we come to court with him which we gratefully accepted.