You generally can’t tell how hard a person is working based solely on their relaxed demeanor — we all know someone who stays cool under pressure. That said, it is really hard to do any good lawyering in court while unconscious. Willie Davis may have delivered fiery oratory that netted his client a not guilty verdict in his dream, but the reality is that he slept during the trial. Thankfully, the slept-on client will have another chance at a fair trial. From Reuters:

A man who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2013 deserves a retrial after his criminal defense lawyer failed to stay awake during his trial, Massachusetts’ top court ruled on Thursday.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found that Nyasani Watt was deprived of his constitutional right to counsel when the lawyer, Willie Davis, fell asleep multiple times during his 2013 murder trial.

“Here, where defense counsel fell asleep repeatedly at trial, and potentially during at least one crucial witness’s testimony, we do not have confidence that justice was done,” Chief Justice Kimberly Budd wrote for the full court.

I know that they aren’t the best for your heart, but if the options are courtroom jitters or Rip Van Winkle-ing a client in dire need, chug the vending machine Redbull! Better to momentarily gains some wiings than for your client to get life behind bars. Even if there was a strong case against Watt (I’m not saying that there was), due process is something every lawyer should think is worth staying awake for.

Sleeping Lawyer Warrants New Trial For Murder Defendant, Massachusetts Court Says [Reuters]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.