Strategic
Subpoenas
Wait,
this paper is about motions. Why is a paper about motion now
discussing subpoenas.
Without
presenting evidence, there can be no Action Motions2K10.
The
strategic subpoena is one of the ignition systems necessary for
Action Motions 2K10. Catchy titles for motions, innovative subject
matter for motions and even favorable publicity cannot assure the
proper ignition for Action Motions 2K10.
The
strategic subpoena begins to tell the story and accomplish the
goals. An important element of the strategic subpoena is the
production of documents portion of the subpoena.
An
example of a request for documents is the following request
used in a post-conviction hearing.
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ITEMIZED
ITEMS SUBPOENAED |
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1.
All documents relating to the televised CNN
Presents segment, “Amazing Grace.” This segment was
recorded, in part, in the residence of xxxx on or about
February 28, 1994 and was first broadcast on April 9, 1995. |
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2.
All documents relating to Court TV's involvement in
the trial of xxxx. These include interviews and
segments in which you appeared or were depicted between
April 7, 1993 and the present. |
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3.
All documents relating to the WSB-TV newscast which
showed you strutting (walking in an animated manner with
exaggerated movements of upper and lower extremities) down
the hall of the Fulton County Courthouse very soon after the
verdict in the trial of xxxx. |
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4.
All documents relating to other TV broadcasts, between
April 7, 1993 and the present, in which you appeared or were
depicted. |
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5.
All documents in which you appeared and/or were
recorded and/or were depicted or described relating to or
appearing in radio broadcasts and/or audio recordings,
between April 7, 1993 and the present. |
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6.
All documents in which you appeared or were depicted
relating to or appearing in newsprint or other print media,
between April 7, 1993 and the present. |
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7.
All documents relating to legal seminars or oral
presentations, between April 7, 1993 and the present, in
which you participated or presented information. |
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8.
All documents concerning any communications between
you and xx or concerning xx, including, but not limited to,
any interactions between you and xx between April 7, 1993
and the present. |
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9.
All documents concerning any communications between you and
xx or concerning xx, including, but not limited to, any
interactions between you and xx between April 7, 1993 and
the present. |
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10.
All documents concerning any communications between you and
xx or concerning xx, including, but not limited to, any
interactions between you and xx between April 7, 1993 and
the present. |
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11.
All documents concerning personal funds supplied by
you to assist in the investigation and/or prosecution of
xxxx. |
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12.
All documents concerning funds and/or services
provided by other than governmental entities for the
prosecution and/or investigation of xxxx or any facts
relating to the fire at the residence of xxxx. |
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13.
All documents received by you from the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation or other law enforcement agencies relating
to the case of State of Georgia v. xxxx. |
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14.
All documents concerning information relating to the
date of any test for accelerants in the residence of xxxx
and the date of receipt by the office of the District
Attorney of Fulton County of the report for any tests
relating to these accelerants. |
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15.
All documents concerning any compensation, reward or
benefit which was provided any persons testifying at the
trial of xxxx. |
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16.
All documents concerning any compensation, reward or
benefit provided to any person related to the case of State
of Georgia v. xxxx. |
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17.
All documents concerning the supposed “beatings”
Ms. xxxx received at the hands of Mr. xxxx. |
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18.
All documents concerning other cases on which you
worked between the night of April 7, 1993 and the day of
closing arguments in the case of State of Georgia v. xxxx. |
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19.
Copy of your W-2, W-4 and 1099 forms and federal
income tax returns for the past four years. |
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20.
All documents reflecting gifts, contributions, or
donations, rewards or awards you have received from April 7,
1993 until the present excepting only gifts from persons
related to you by blood or marriage within the 7th Levitical
degree. |
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21.
All documents reflecting gifts, contributions, or
donations, rewards or awards you have made from April 7,
1993 until the present excepting only gifts given to persons
related to you by blood or marriage within the 7th Levitical
degree. |
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22.
All documents reflecting terms of compensation to you
by any entities other than the office of the District
Attorney of Fulton County from April 7, 1993 to the present. |
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23.
All documents relating to any complaints about your
conduct as an attorney or about your conduct as a prosecutor
in any case during the time you have been employed by the
office of the District Attorney of Fulton County. |
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24.
All documents relating to any application you have
made seeking any judicial position during the time you have
been employed by the office of the District Attorney of
Fulton County. |
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25.
All documents relating to any application you have
made seeking employment within the last five years,
including, but not limited to, employment at Georgia State
University. |
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26.
All documents related to classes you have taught or
are currently teaching at Georgia State University. This
includes, but is not limited to, lesson plans, course
materials, and lecture documents. |
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27.
All documents you have written about the case of xxxx
that are not a part of the official record of this case. |
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28.
All documents related to written or oral communication
with persons who testified during the trial of the case of
State of Georgia v. xxxx from April 7, 1993 to the present. |
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29.
All documents related to written or oral communication
with persons about xxxx since April 7, 1993 to the present. |
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30.
All documents that relate to any justification for you
questioning Dr. Joseph Burton about being called “Lying
Joe Burton.” |
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31.
All documents relating to any persons entering the
residence of xxxx from April 7, 1993 to the present. |
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32.
All documents depicting any view of the scene of the
residence of xxxx from April 7, 1993 to the present. |
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33.
All documents depicting any view or reflecting any
test, test results, experiment or simulation that in any way
relate to the case of the State of Georgia v. xxxx or the
fire at the residence of xxxx, including, but not limited
to, the video made during the presence of the CNN crew at
the residence of xxxxand the test by xx made before the
trial of xxxx of the Neat-Lac burning against a board. |
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The strategic subpoena is most often accompanied with the
following attachment that demonstrates to the court the courtesy
you are extending to the witness. The following is an example of
this type of attachment. |
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ATTACHMENT
1 to Subpoena
NOTE:
Counsel for xxxx are coordinating the subpoenas and
documents subpoenaed for the hearing in this case
scheduled to begin Thursday, April 11 at 9:00 a.m.
through the office of Millard Farmer, P.O. Box 1728,
Atlanta, GA 30301, telephone (404) 688-8116; fax: (404)
577-0643. Someone at this office will be available
to discuss your attendance and your production of
documents pursuant to this subpoena.
Please
inform the person answering the phone that you wish to
talk with someone about your subpoena for this case.
There will be someone available from 9:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Persons
who are subpoenaed are requested to call as soon as
possible with scheduling or document production
problems.
The
purpose of these calls is to arrange for a schedule, not
only for attendance, but also a time to produce the
subpoenaed documents. The same documents, in some
instances, have been subpoenaed from more than one
witness. It is not intended that each witness be
burdened with production of the documents or items
subpoenaed if there can be an agreement as to the person
who will supply the document or item subpoenaed.
Persons
who wish to be on call for attendance may make this
request and everything possible will be done to
accommodate both personal and professional obligations
and schedules.
Please
note the time and date on your subpoena; not everyone is
subpoenaed for the same time and date.
Please
call as soon as practical or have your counsel call
promptly so that this hearing can be facilitated without
a number of people being inconvenienced by last
day and hour requests for accommodations. It will
be difficult to adjust the scheduled time for your
appearance close to the hearing date.
Please
call promptly for the convenience of all involved;
however, please understand this requested call is not
required by the court.
The
strategic subpoena is accompanied by a list of
descriptions much the same as descriptions used in
notices to produce documents in civil cases. An
example of this attachment of descriptions is as
follows. |
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DEFINITIONS
RELATING TO SUBPOENAED ITEMS |
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The following definitions are an integral part of these
requests for documents and are applicable throughout this
request. |
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"Document", either singular or plural, is
defined as any and all originals, or if not available,
true copies of all memorandum, reports, appraisals,
evaluations, correspondence, receipts, payment vouchers,
accounting records and books, communications, interoffice
communications, intra-office memorandum, inter-agency
communications, electronic recordings including computer
generated and/or preserved recordings, video recordings,
audio recordings, summaries of conversations, summaries of
memorandum of meetings or conferences, list of persons
attending meetings or conferences, diaries, records or
summaries of interviews, investigation or reports,
summaries of negotiations, agreements, contracts, agency
rules, agency policies, office manuals, invoices, canceled
checks, journals, ledgers, file cards, index cards,
indices, deposit slips, data processing cards, computer or
business machine printouts, electronic recordings, work
papers, statements, financial statements whether audited
or unaudited, leases, speeches, information provided to
the media, press releases, advertisements, pamphlets,
circulars, professional letters, annual and other reports,
documents filed with government agencies, reports of
experts and research personnel, draft and preliminary
copies of any of the foregoing, marginal comments
appearing in any document and all other writings and data
compilations, including any written, printed, recorded or
graphic matter, photographic matter or similar
reproductions, however produced or reproduced or tangible
things upon which words or phrases are affixed. |
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The effective use of subpoenas in litigation is a little
used skill. The requirement to bring documents aspect of the
subpoena should be written much as the concentric statements
concept in Action Motions 2K10.
In fact, the subpoena should be a modified motion. It
should command the person being subpoenaed to bring numerous
items with him/her to the Action Motions 2K10 hearing to be
used as Energized Evidence.
Action Motions 2K10 need evidence. This evidence is
needed to ignite the presentation of the motion and to give the
record teeth. Many lawyers “argue” motions. A motion that is
merely argued is just another motion, it is not a Action Motion
2K10.
To produce the Energized Evidence required to qualify a
motion as an Action Motion 2K10 it is necessary to
understand a few other concepts.
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CHARISMA
(ke riz' ma) the special quality that
gives an individual influence, charm, or inspiration over
large numbers of people. |
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POWER
(pou' er) the ability or capacity to act
or perform effectively. |
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.
. . two important keys to Action Motion 2K10. |
Time is a critical element in the presentation of
Action Motion 2K10. There are some limitations on when
motions may be presented, but often you can control both the
time of filing and the time of presentation.
To present motions properly, evidence should be presented
on all factual matters raised by the motion and any other
necessary facts that affect the issues. It is not
sufficient to simply "argue" motions.
If funds are needed to obtain evidence and to present it
properly, specific motions for funds, supported by evidence to
show the need for funds, should be made. When possible, motions
for funds should be frequently renewed with a specific showing
of need. If the client is not completely indigent and can pay
attorney's fees or other fees for defense services, this should
not be assumed to preclude the need for funds from the State to
adequately defend the charges.
If the trial court refuses to hear evidence on behalf of
any factual matters contained in the motions, or if a denial of
funds makes it impossible to present all of the evidence needed,
a specific offer of proof of what evidence
could have been presented -- framed in a manner which is
favorable to the accused -- should always be made to the trial
court.
There are certain kinds of motions that should be
presented out of the hearing of the public. These motions can be
presented in camera. The in camera presentation of
a motion can be the subject of a motion itself. The restrictions
on an in camera motion can include not only a hearing outside
the presence of the public, but also, a sealed decision together
with a concealment of both the motion, and the motion to have
the motion heard in camera.
Examples of this type of motion are motions in limine
and motions for directed verdicts of acquittal. These in camera
motions shield the client from the adverse effects of both a
denial of the motion and the prejudicial evidence that may be
presented during the motion hearing. The accused also has the
right to an ex parte hearing on an application for
funds.
At any stage of the proceeding where the rights of the
person accused are affected by the denial of a prior motion, you
should renew the motion and supplement it with additional
evidence, or, if prohibited from presenting evidence, make an
offer of proof.
The ways in which motions should be formulated to
communicate information depend in great part upon an
individual's communication skills and understanding of the many
ways in which messages are sent and received.
We may be familiar with the use of psychologists to help
interpret body language of potential jurors. Body language is
but one of the many "languages" we all speak, often
unconsciously. Many other "languages" exist that can
assist or affect communication by spoken word.
There are things that allow us the security of
communicating effectively. One of these things that
provides security is having a model of representation.
Another is having a strategy specialist to oversee the
adherence to the goals of the model of representation.
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