I used to teach evidence. It was great fun. Who doesn’t love wrestling with the definition of hearsay and all those exceptions? But, for better or worse, the best teaching moments in that class didn’t come from me. They came from Vinny Gambini, the hapless, endearing, and unwittingly hilarious criminal defense attorney played by Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny. Plenty of those scenes illustrated key points of evidence law in ways that were hard to forget.
The film also conveyed another key lesson: the importance of the quality and commitment of the lawyers involved in all aspects of the criminal justice process. Indeed (and I realize I’m dating myself as I write this), students back then often mentioned that this movie had played a role in inspiring them to become lawyers. For others, of course, the inspiration came from To Kill a Mockingbird. Or “Law and Order.” Or “The Wire.” Or even Legally Blonde.
Whatever the source, these fictional examples of vivid and urgent advocacy in the high stakes realm of the criminal justice system helped set many of us on our path towards legal practice. From that point of view, it’s no surprise to lawyers that the True Crime genre dominates today’s cultural landscape. These stories ask timeless questions lawyers wrestle with every day: What really happened? Who decides the truth? How do process, power, and persuasion shape outcomes?
This issue of Texas Law Magazine explores these themes from a variety of angles. There’s Barbara Rae-Venter ’85, whose pioneering work with investigative genetic genealogy caught the Golden State Killer, and Mindy Montford ’95, whose cold case work helped solve the decades-old Yogurt Shop murders. Professor Brian Pérez-Daple, a former federal prosecutor, analyzes what statistics really tell us about crime in America. Judge Jesse F. McClure III ’99 talks about life on the bench of the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals. And Guy James Gray ’73, a former prosecutor, and Gretchen Sween ’03, a defense attorney, reflect on the toll working capital cases can take.
These stories are a powerful reminder of why the rule of law matters, and why doing this work exceptionally well—carefully, ethically, and courageously—is inspiring.
Hook ’em,
BOBBY CHESNEY
Dean, The University of Texas School of Law