What 115 Jury Trials Have Taught Me
By James L. Spies | AggressiveCriminalLaw.com
When people ask how many jury trials I've handled, I usually give the short answer:
115 jury trials.
That's a number I'm proud of, but it doesn't really tell the story.
The better question is, what kinds of cases were those?
Over the course of my career, I've tried cases as both a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney. Before entering private practice, I tried 46 jury trials as a prosecutor. Since then, I've served as lead defense counsel in 69 jury trials.
That perspective has been invaluable. I've stood at counsel table representing the government and representing individuals whose liberty—and sometimes their lives—were on the line. Seeing the criminal justice system from both sides has shaped the way I prepare cases, evaluate evidence, and try them before juries.
A Career Focused on Serious Felony Cases
Not all jury trials are created equal.
A review of my trial history shows that approximately:
40 jury trials involved homicide or attempted homicide.
25 jury trials involved serious sex offenses.
The remainder consisted primarily of aggravated robberies, burglaries, assaults, drug trafficking cases, firearms offenses, and other major felony prosecutions.
In other words, the overwhelming majority of my career has been devoted to defending—or prosecuting—the most serious criminal cases our courts handle.
Looking Beyond Wins and Losses
People often ask about my "win-loss record."
Trial lawyers know that's not always the right question.
A jury may reject a first-degree murder charge but convict on voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. A client facing life imprisonment may receive a hung jury. A court may direct a verdict of acquittal. Sometimes the most significant victory isn't an outright acquittal—it's convincing twelve jurors that the prosecution's theory simply goes too far.
That's why experienced trial lawyers evaluate cases differently than box scores.
Did the defense accomplish its realistic objective?
Did the jury reject the government's primary theory?
Did the evidence support a dramatically lesser outcome?
Those are often the questions that matter most.
A Consistent Pattern
Looking back over more than three decades of jury trials, one theme appears again and again:
Jurors frequently rejected the prosecution's highest-level theory of the case.
Sometimes that meant a complete acquittal.
Sometimes it meant a hung jury.
Sometimes it meant persuading jurors that a first-degree murder case was actually voluntary or involuntary manslaughter.
Sometimes it meant defeating the most serious charges while obtaining acquittals on others.
Every trial is different, and every verdict belongs to the jury. But that recurring pattern is one of the most meaningful aspects of my career.
Experience Matters
Criminal trials are not won by shortcuts.
They require preparation, judgment, credibility, and the ability to communicate with ordinary people who are asked to make extraordinary decisions.
After 115 jury trials, I've learned that no two cases are exactly alike. Every client deserves an attorney willing to master the facts, challenge assumptions, and present the strongest possible case to a jury.
The number itself isn't what matters most.
What matters is the experience earned one trial at a time—and the perspective that comes from spending a career in courtrooms handling some of the most difficult criminal cases in Kansas and federal court.
If you are facing charges in Kansas, whether in Wyandotte County, Shawnee County, or anywhere in Johnson County, you need a defense lawyer with extensive trial experience. You need the Law Office of James L. Spies.
