Getting Help

@just4him (323168)
Green Bay, Wisconsin
September 3, 2018 9:17am CST
When it comes to writing, you can't always find all your answers on the Web. Sorry guys, if you thought the Internet was that easy. However, you can still use the Web to get at a live answer. I have a courtroom situation in my book Thread of Evidence, and for a layperson like me, who has no real concept of the courtroom except what I've seen on TV and the one experience I had as a member of a jury, I needed some professional help. So, I did the next best thing to a live person. I Googled Ask a Judge and found a forum. I hesitated a bit before I bit the bullet and asked my question. My question concerned the confusing, to me anyway, terms sustained and overruled and how they are used. I got three answers. One was so-so, the second was great, and the third was a total jerk. So, the answer is simple. I've studied this answer enough that my head is finally wrapped around it and I can definitely know the court situation I have will be correct. Yes, that means I will be studying those last five chapters again, but this time I'll know more about what I'm doing. The answer: If the judge agrees with the objection, he will say 'sustained', and the lawyer MUST ask a different question. If the judge disagrees with the objection, he will 'overrule' and the witness MUST answer the question. His answer was three paragraphs long, with lots of detail that helped me get to the above conclusion. For his help, I've added an acknowledgment at the front of the book. I am now reading Thread of Evidence, with minor editing. It's finished, though I will be going back over the courtroom situation. Someone here once asked when I would publish. My answer then was when I'm comfortable I have it exactly the way it should be and I've edited it enough that everything is taken care of. I've done that with the help of Grammarly and now with a lawyer's help. He also suggested I sit in on some court sessions. I'm seriously thinking about doing that too. Thread of Evidence is getting close to being a book and should be by the end of this month. Do you pursue answers until you have the answer or do you wing it? Thanks for reading. I'm almost certain if I mentioned the lawyer's name, there might be one person here who just might know him since he practices law in Connecticut and New York, and lives in Greenwich, CT. For now, I'm hungry. I've been to the store. I have a great idea for something yummy, and I will let you all know how it works out when it comes out of the oven.
14 people like this
13 responses
@LadyDuck (502148)
• Italy
3 Sep 18
You surely got the good answer. "Sustained" is when the judge agrees with the objection and disallows the question. "Overruled" means that (the judge disagrees with the objection and he allows the question. I hope you will be happy with your meal.
3 people like this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
Yes, I'm happy with the answer I got. The meal is good but could be better. It didn't turn out exactly as I hoped it would. I'll write about it, with a picture.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (502148)
• Italy
4 Sep 18
@just4him I will check the post about your meal.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
4 Sep 18
1 person likes this
@aureliah (24687)
• Kenya
3 Sep 18
I have always loved reading Robert Ludlum because it has enlightened me much about court sessions. All the best in the Thread of Evidence
2 people like this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
Thank you. I'm looking forward to when it's finally a book and not just a manuscript.
2 people like this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
@aureliah One thing I don't do is stop. I've not given up yet on a manuscript.
1 person likes this
@aureliah (24687)
• Kenya
3 Sep 18
@just4him It will definitely be as long as you do not stop
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
4 Sep 18
My father who was a lawyer and a judge , sometimes would let me come with him in his court hearings. Those two words were always being heard of. For the first time I have heard them in court, I asked him what they mean and those explanations were what he told me. From then on, I already know what they mean.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
4 Sep 18
That's great you have a wonderful understanding of court law with your father being a judge and lawyer.
1 person likes this
• United States
3 Sep 18
I'm sure you'll have your courtroom scene down pat quickly. Have a great day!
2 people like this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
Yes, I will. Thank you. It's going well so far.
@DianneN (254949)
• United States
3 Sep 18
Glad you found the answers, but you could have just asked me. There are at least 4 lawyers in my family, and if I didn't know the answer, I could have texted them. I wonder who that lawyer is??? We are not too far from Greenwich, where most of the New York lawyers live.
2 people like this
@DianneN (254949)
• United States
3 Sep 18
@just4him No, I don't know him, unfortunately. Did he give his advice for free? Sorry, no mechanics in the family. It seems wee are white collar workers. lol
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
@DianneN Yes, he did. The service I found online was free. The one that gave a real snarky answer was the last one and sounds like he's only a lawyer for the money, and not really interested in helping people like me, anyway. He said the forum was for real people with real problems. Funny, because when I posted my question, there were a lot of other authors looking for help with their books too. Some couldn't be helped because they did involve some legal issues that if answered online, could see the lawyer disbarred.
2 people like this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
I thought you might know him. Harold Ralph Burke. Now, I know I could have asked you too. Now, do you have a mechanic in the family? That's the other issue I need clarification on.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (381741)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Sep 18
That's great that you were able to get the information you needed. I don't think I would have thought of doing that.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
4 Sep 18
I didn't know what else to do.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
7 Sep 18
@JudyEv Yes, it did. I got another bit of help yesterday for another problem I need clarification with in the story, and that is to watch Mythbusters to find out the mechanical situation for my story.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (381741)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Sep 18
@just4him It was a very good idea and obviously paid off.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
3 Sep 18
A roasted beef? Right now, I´m helping a friend who is jury at a literary contest of first novels. The one I´m reading could be used to light a chimney with no guilt. I think that we must research if we want to write well. I do that when I write and do that in my every day life.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
That bad, eh? No, not a roast beef. I made a dessert that's not a dessert. I agree. You need to research, it's the only way you're going to get all the answers.
@marlina (154103)
• Canada
3 Sep 18
I remember watching the Perry Mason show on TV every Tuesday night (in French) when I was a teenager. That's when and where I learned about those terms. Never forgot.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
I should have paid better attention. It was my father's favorite show. I didn't like it, so tried not to watch it.
@amadeo (111937)
• United States
3 Sep 18
enjoy your roast beef.Early in the morning
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
I didn't have any roast beef. I made an apple crisp of sorts, using fresh coconut and other nuts. It turned out okay. Tastes good. Needs tweaking.
1 person likes this
@HazySue (39265)
• Gouverneur, New York
3 Sep 18
I pursue the question until I am satisfied that I know the answer. It can be a pain but it is so worth it. I think the judge gave you wonderful information. Can't wait for the book. I really love the cover.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
Thanks. I knew it was the right cover when I saw the picture on Pixabay. It's the only way to write, research until you have all the facts and have them correct. I'll be letting everyone know when it's out. Hopefully soon.
1 person likes this
@franxav (14588)
• India
3 Sep 18
I am a total ignoramus in law. However, when I write about a courtroom scene I base it on TV serials and that appears quite credible.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
The book I have, Writer's Guide to the Courtroom, was written by a lawyer, and he says he loves watching those shows for the great laughs he gets from them. In other words, they're not accurate.
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
3 Sep 18
I am glad you got the answers you needed. Did you mention that his name would be in a book?
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
It's on the acknowledgment page only.
@august18 (3906)
• Tunisia
3 Sep 18
Enjoy your roast beef. I'm sure it will come out yummy.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
3 Sep 18
I didn't make a roast beef.
1 person likes this