In the midst of budget woes, and the Office being short-staffed, Pat Lykos apparently decided that this morning (in the middle of normal docket call hours) would be a great time to schedule a CLE.
For those of you outside the biz, a CLE is a Continuing Legal Education class where attorneys receive training in the legal field.
There is nothing unusual about the District Attorney's Office putting on an "in house" CLE course so that the prosecutors can keep in compliance with their required amount of hours received in training. In the past, the CLEs were usually taught by senior prosecutors on a variety of topics ranging from jury selection to cross-examination to closing arguments to prosecuting family violence cases to child abuse cases, etc. And they were always held in the afternoon so as to not interfere with the morning dockets which pretty much require all three prosecutors in the court being present.
Not so under the Lykos Administration.
Rather than utilize her senior prosecutors that actually have the training and experience to teach younger prosecutors just fine, Lykos brought in her own special lecturer -- a lady named Lisa Blue.
Ms. Blue is no doubt an impressive and knowledgeable speaker, but one has to wonder about the timing of her speech.
One also has to wonder whether or not the budget-strapped District Attorney's Office actually paid for Ms. Blue to come speak to the troops.
The courts were short-handed this morning as prosecutors were required to attend the class. It was poor planning and poor planning.
But what was the most disturbing element of the whole speech was it's underlying theme -- apparently Ms. Blue stood for the proposition that it was the job of the Assistant District Attorney's to make Elected-District Attorney Pat Lykos "Look Good".
A sentiment that Lykos can clearly get behind.
I just want to know if any of the prosecutors had the sense of humor to stand up and say "Good God, lady, we're prosecutors not miracle workers!"
21 comments:
You better watch out. This Lykos blogging could turn into a full time job.
Are these boners now going pretty much come from Lykos and wee man every day now?
Um, seriously, has the elected district attorney opened up the TX Code of Criminal Procedure lately to, oh, you know, section 2.01? If she doesn't have a code book, it is available online. Last time I looked, there wasn't anything in the relevant and pertinent provisions dictating the duties of a district attorney that included making the boss "look good".
Lisa Blue is the wife of Fred Baron of Baron & Budd. They bilked companies out of hundredxs of millions of dollars in toxic tort claims that couldn't be proven in any place on earth except in counties along the Texas coast. When HB 4 passed they and the firm they owned, Silber Pearlman, pretty much left the state.they were the main reason for tort reform.
Lisa doesn't go anywhere unless she can get paid.
Fred was the lead fundraised for John Edwards.
Lykos is making some strange bedfellows for a Republican.
Lisa Blue is not a criminal lawyer either. During that so-called CLE, I was scratching my head wondering why a PI lawyer is trying to tell me how to pick a criminal jury. Ms. Blue made millions keeping state oriented jurors (conservatives) out of the box in order to get large verdicts. Wee man... That has a nice ring to it. How does Wee man look at himself in the mirror? How does his wife put up with it?
Rage and Anon 8:05,
Thanks for the information. That really is interesting.
Since it has become apparent that Lykos doesn't give a crap about what her ADAs are thinking and Jim lost his spine as a New Year's resolution, there seems to be one last group that might be able to help pull that Office out of a tailspin.
That would be the Republican Party. Maybe they can do an intervention with their Golden Girl who is not just disgracing her job, but disgracing the party along with it.
Sorry to tell you man, but your party has more to worry about right now than Lykos. I personally don't see the same turn out without Obama on the ticket, but Republican judges are running scared right about now and the party has its hands full doing everything they can to keep folks in office next year. They don't have time to babysit Lykos, and if they do it means they aren't taking the upcoming elecetions seriously enough.
Also, I should clarify my earlier post that Silber Pearlman was owned by Baron & Budd. I was a bit unclear on that.
In my opinion HB 4 was the single largest attack on the open courts doctrine in our history, and lawyers like Blue were the reason it was better to have it than not.
Working out a plea with a prosecutor sitting in a CLE was quite the arduous task yesterday.
Memo to Lykos: maybe someone should be assigned to cover for the MIA prosecutors next time!
This CLE speaker has an impressive resume the troll can tout, provided it is not scrutinized and revealed for what it is. Vintage Liar Lykos. Lykos has always been an image oriented empty suit interested more in political sound bites than integrity.
The fox is guarding the hen house and soon there won't be any chicken left to fry.
Do you really wonder whether the HCDA paid this speaker?
It's public information
When is Ms. Barr up for re-election? I'd like to help campaign against her as well as Lykos.
Roxy brought up an interesting thought in an earlier post...who tipped the troll about the Batson motion being granted before the ink could dry.
The troll is as transparent as a lead shield.
The "outrage" over the "look good" comment reflects more on the absence of real world experience outside of HCDA than anything else. You will be expected to make the political or corporate leadership - or military command for that matter - "look good" by performing the assigned tasks and duties in a competent and efficient matter. A professional can and will follow the oaths of their profession and still be required to reflect favorably on the corporation and its leadership. This concept should be clearly understand by the potential participants if the threatened mass ADA resignations are to be seriously considered.
Dearest 12:01,
I'm afraid YOU missed the point. The DA's office is not part of corporate America. The DA is not a CEO. There is no board of directors. There are no shareholders. The duty owed is to the citizens of Harris County not the troll's image. The job of an ADA is to provide justice for the citizens it represents with the highest degree of ethics and integrity. If that job is done properly then and only then the DA will look good....the end does not justify the means.
For you to imply that ADAs should participate in an orchestrated subterfuge so that their primary goal is to perpetuate the fraud of an incompetent Leikos/Leitner regime rather than to promote justice is pure nonsense.
Your Machiavellian perception of the world is fatally flawed and I reject it as a model for OUR office, Missy.
12:01,
Is that you, Mien Commandant Snookems?
Hiel Lykos!!!
I heard HCDA paid $25,000 to bring Lisa Blue in.
What a waste.
12:50:
No my young friend,it is you that missed the point, and I use the term "young friend" because your comment reflects exactly what I said - lack out real world experience outside of HCDA. Your occupation demands no more intergrity and ethics than does mine,or,for that matter,a military commander who must lead men to their deaths for the protection of us all, and the stated principle remains for all organizations. Please note that the "orchestrated subterfuge" term was yours, not mine, and such an action was never recommended. You are certainly free to ignore the reality of the world and to take that attitude into the public or private sector after you leave HCDA to see how well it serves you. I assure you the pain will be yours.
Anon 12:01
You never worked for JBH. He would be the first to tell you to seek justice and do the right thing. Most of the time, the elected DA will look good by seeking justice and doing the right thing but not always. If you are just going to make the DA look good, then justice is diminished and when justice is diminished it is lost.
Anon 1:55,
My dear old hag,
Having integrity and ethics does not preclude one from being worldly. Real world that is, not your version.
Your reasoning is as lacking as Lykos' leadership. Making Lykos "look good", as you so boldly advocate as one of my primary responsibilities, would require me to condone and participate in an orchestrated subterfuge in light of her mandate to politicize the administration of justice rather than to perform honorably. That , madam, is unacceptable.
Perhaps a hormone supplement will ease your insufferable delusions.
Murray, I'm a Brazos County lawyer so I try to avoid anything having to do with Houston, unless it's an Astros game. I didn't follow the DA's race, so I have to ask. How the heck did she get elected?
Dear Jeff Kramer,
Pat "the Troll" Lykos is the Pied Piper of the "Old Blue Hairs" who historically represent the biggest voting block in the Harris County Republican Party runoffs, qualifications notwithstanding.
Anon 12:01/1:55:
I am afraid you are a victim of your own argument. Having worked as a private attorney and now as an ADA I have experience in both worlds. You are correct as far as the private sector - making your boss look good is a large part of your job. However, being an ADA is quite different in many aspects. First and foremost, while the elected DA is our manager, she, as well as we, are employees of Harris County; and our job is to administer justice in Harris County. It's something an outsider may have a hard time understanding, especially a corporate employee. Also, we take oaths above and beyond the normal legal adjurations because our job requires it. So it is a statement of ignorance to say our duties are the same as those of a private sector attorney.
I highly doubt the county paid $25,000 for her. It was a major waste of everyone's time. You should really try and find out what the cost was...you may be surprised!
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