By Jill Dellamalva
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 1, 1997

The Whole Truth, Philadelphia Style

Arizona Daily Wildcat Jill Dellamalva

The recent 2 or 3 years have been a bonanza for lawyers, wanna-be lawyers and average citizens. It seems that lately, everyone is an "expert" in the law. No one is an amateur. Regular, ordinary people standing at the check-out counter at a local grocery store talk with ease about the "statute of limitations" and "mitigating circumstances."

Give credit to, or blame if you wish, to the media coverage of the situations regarding O.J. Simpson, Timothy McVeigh, Kelly Flinn, JonBenet Ramsey and all the other crimes that received intensive scrutiny over long periods of time. It is this scrutiny which sucked all of us into looking critically at the judicial system, how it works and the little technicalities that prove people innocent who appear to be guilty as charged.

Has this new-found interest in the way the judicial system works been beneficial to society? The legal experts point to the O.J. trial as having a negative impact on society. Experts in these matters say that the evidence gathered and analyzed was overwhelming and pointed to his guilt. However, the jury found him not guilty. Other experts say that this was a great lesson for America, and that the decision by the jury was a positive sign. And what do I think? I consider the new interest to be beneficial.

In my home state of Pennsylvania there is a popular colloquialism which refers to smart lawyers, not-so-smart lawyers, would-be-lawyers and the general public who are fond of using legal terms in everyday conversation.

The term they use is "Philadelphia Lawyer." So, the expression is: "What are you? A Philadelphia Lawyer!?" I don't know the origin of this phrase, but it is a common expression where I live and doesn't require explanation.

If you have followed some of the high profile criminal cases and expressed your opinion, I would say to you, "What do you think you are? A Philadelphia Lawyer?"

Here's a good example: A 20-something girl is stopped for a traffic violation. She is driving 45 mph in a 35 mph zone. The policeman says, "I'll have to cite you." So she asks if he saw her stop at the traffic signal a half-mile back. He says, "Yes." Then she puts on her Philadelphia Lawyer face and says, "This is a 4 cylinder GEO. It would require 1 mile and 1 1/2 minutes to generate sufficient thrust to reach 45 mph." The policeman is only left to say, "Forget the ticket. And by the way, what are you? A Philadelphia Lawyer?"

If you watch any legal shows on TV, you know that there are so many interesting (and sad) cases to follow. What is in store for Bryan Peterson and Amy Grosberg - two college students from New Jersey charged with allegedly killing their baby? Both came from upper-middle class homes.

This pattern continues with the Prom Mom Melissa Dressler. It's all so easy. Go to the prom, do some dancing, go to the ladies room, have a baby, discard the baby (allegedly), and go back and request a song to dance to.

Then here comes Alex Kelly. He's charged with rape. The judge sets bail, Alex skips bail, sets off for Europe, becomes a ski enthusiast and spends a lot of time in the Alpine area. He waits 8 years before he comes home to give himself up to authorities who later try and convict him of rape. And where was Alex before his trial? Where else - free on bail. How? Well, the judge didn't seem to think he was a flight risk.

Now, any Philadelphia lawyers out there would have the people mentioned above tried and convicted in five minutes flat. For example, in Dressler's case, they would say that her returning to the dance floor was her way of saying that life goes on. And it did - for everyone but the defenseless baby.

In these three cases, there are certainly technical points of importance. What was the condition of the babies when they were born? Were they dead or alive? Only a jury will be able to decide, not that all Philadelphia lawyers will be satisfied with the outcomes. And as for Alex Kelly, well, you'll just have to stand in the check-out line in your nearest supermarket to figure that one out.

Jill Dellamalva is a junior majoring in creative writing and journalism.