Thank You Toby Shook for Letting me Tag Along
I had the privilege of sitting second chair with one of the State’s finest trial attorneys, Toby Shook. Until I showed up on the Collin County Courthouse steps, I’d not met Mr. Shook. I heard he was an exceptional trial attorney and a great guy. I can say after spending the day with him, the rumors are spot on.
A mutual friend, Keith Harris, connected us to try a case together. I jumped at the chance. I sat taking notes during Toby’s voir dire yesterday. There was a factual issue in our case that some might characterize as “squirrelly.” Although the fact issue would not have been a silver bullet in trial, it did provide a good faith basis to conduct a unique voir dire.
I watched as Toby put prospective juror’s oaths to the test. To the credit of many Collin County citizens, most of the jurors answered honestly to Toby’s questions. Soon, my pen could not keep up with writing down all the venireman ’s names that were spouting out “cause” answers. Soon, the panel was busted.
This gave us the opportunity to approach the prosecutor about a new offer. Since the complaining witness had flown into Texas earlier that morning the prosecutor had not had a chance to meet with her. So, we all took a lunch break, and the prosecutor had some time to sit down with his witness.
We showed back up at the courthouse, and negotiations continued. Finally, we were able to reason together, and the prosecutor made the appropriate offer. No trial, but a great result for our client and a fair disposition for the State.
From the moment Toby Shook stood up in the courtroom everyone knew he is a person you can trust. The integrity he exudes, along with great technique, makes him a dangerous opponent in the courtroom. Thanks for letting me tag along, Toby!
