Short of filming someone for television as they receive a verdict of guilty, nobody ever looks as guilty as they do saying "no comment" or hiding their face as they leave jail or a courthouse. Nothing reads worse than, "the defendant could not be reached for comment." On the other hand, it doesn't tend to go well when the client talks on camera either. It also looks a little slick for the lawyer to get in front of the cameras.
I thought Don Samuel's handing of the "going from the jail to the car" moment on camera yesterday was brilliant. The lawyer was there to walk his client to the car but said nothing on camera (or if he did, it wasn't broadcast). The client, Thomas Goodwin, didn't say "no comment." He did say that the Sheriff's Department had treated him well. In fact, said that the jailers had shown him "southern hospitality."
I went looking for the video to link it to this post and couldn't find it. Either I am bad with internet search tools, or the lawyer's handing of the interview worked. There's no lingering bad press from the "jail to car" walk news story that is usually designed to look super incriminating.
Next time you have a client whose case is attracting media attention, brief your client on a positive non-sequitor, and teach him to say it. He'll be saying "no comment," but it won't play like that when they edit up the soundbyte.
