Where are the best places to try a case?
In no particular order:
Southern District of New York. Walking into the Thurgood Marshall courthouse always gives us chills. Downside- many of the courtrooms are small and in a lot of them the defense sits behind the prosecution. Of course that allows us to make faces at them without them seeing it. Additional plus- walking distance from Chinatown and Wo Hops. And nothing cooler than riding a Citi bike from our hotel to the courthouse. Downside- the prosecutors are complete ______(rhymes with sticks). MDC Brooklyn is awful for clients. But you know how difficult it is to get electronics into FDC Miami? At MDC Brooklyn you just fill out a form and you and your laptop are in. At FDC Miami you need a handwritten note from Merrick Garland, and that's one of the easier hoops to jump through. Try getting someone from FDC legal on the phone. It's easier to get Kim Jong Un on the phone. Their voice mail should say "You have reached FDC legal. Good luck leaving a message and getting us to return it sucker." Case in point- we recently had an issue with our access to MDC Brooklyn and on the day before Memorial Day, a lawyer at MDC Brooklyn legal responded to our email and renewed our access for a year. Mark us down as a fan.
Boston Massachusetts. The courthouse is beautiful and the hallways have a great view of the Back Bay. The marshals all call you "counselah" as do many of the judges. We love Boston. So many places to hang and have a beer and chowdah. Prosecutors are decent as are the judges. Downside- the jail for clients detained is in...ready for this? Rhode Island. About an hour drive from Boston.
Los Angeles. We just like the vibe of LA.
Dallas (Northern District of Texas). We are not a fan. First, Dallas has a weird vibe. You can stand right where President Kennedy was killed and feel the history of the 1960's being changed. The prosecutors are hit or miss- we have had really good ones, and really awful ones. Biggest surprise- standing when the Judge walked in and having him asking us to remain standing while he prayed to his "lord and savior Jesus Christ". Sort of an uncomfortable moment.
Middle District of Florida. Used to hate and we mean HATE Miami lawyers in the 80s and 90's, Like Broward type hate. Things have been better recently.
Southern District of Georgia (Savanah). Nothing better than walking to court from the hotel and having every single person you pass on the way stop and wish you a good morning. The marshals asked if we were a lawyer and when we said we were, they ushered us through security after looking at the bar card.
Northern District of Illinois (Chicago). It's Chicago. Deep Dish Pizza. Chicago-style dogs. Really good hotels near the courthouse and there is the Loop. Downside- it's really cold in the winter. But one of our fav memories was recently walking a lead defendant in a lengthy fraud conspiracy trial where several of the co-defendants (whose counsel were very rude to us during the whole trial for reasons we need not get into, but basically they didn't like not having a local lawyer going first on cross, etc) were convicted, and having the judge excuse us while mayhem erupted over the inconsistent verdicts and we just strolled away.
Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn). Old facility. But the prosecutors are much better than SDNY and Brooklyn has undergone a revitalization. The court borders Brooklyn Heights, so there is Montague street for great lunch and dinner restaurants. But stay in nearby Williamsburgh which back in the 80's was a war zone, but now is populated by aging Boomers, and Gen Zers. Hotels have a great vibe and there are steakhouses, sushi places, and Indian joints galore, not to mention cool coffee houses and indie bookstores.