In a recent Cleveland Jewish News profile of Ian N. Friedman, the attorney tasked with defending Chardon shooter T.J. Lane, the Beachwood resident opened up about the hardship of that experience:
“What he did in court, I don’t think you could characterize it as anything but heinous,” Friedman told reporter Carlo Wolff. “It was extremely hurtful for everyone in the courtroom. That case was so tragic that there’s no aspect of that (in which) I could even use the word successful. It was extremely hard.”
Friedman has been fighting for criminal representation for much of his career, especially as the head of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He admitted that “even that sort of case” must have legal representation.
A far cry from some readers’ views.
The CJN profile chronicles Friedman’s personal and legal history — he’s an alum of the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law — but is focused on his defense of T.J. Lane, calling it something that tested his ambitions as a lawyer and his love of the profession.
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2014.
That Friedman had no control over his client is something – I gather – that will never be fully explained. His quotes in the article make him sound like someone who was sitting in the visitor’s section of the courtroom.
Block and Axe.
the kid was bullied and retaliated…doesn’t make it right but kids need to know when to keep their mouths shut
@Joe Bialek 1, There is a right way and a wrong way to deal with being bullied. Killing yourself and shooting up your school would both be classified as the wrong response. Kids should know better, but they don’t, and they probably never will because that’s just how kids are. We have to teach kids how to respond to bullies and administration has to back them up; otherwise, tragedies like this will continue to happen.
LakeErieSeaGulls: What actual “control” did you expect Friedman to have over his client in the courtroom that day? Footage showed that he strongly counselled Lane against what he was about to do but otherwise, he could not stop him. This was an adult court…what was he supposed to do…put him in a headlock and gag him?