Guide to New York legal system for writers?

September 29, 2017 6:29 AM

I'm obviously not the first fiction writer to write about a sex-crime trial in New York City, but I might be the most ignorant. Surely someone has written some kind of guide to how the legal process works for fiction writers?

I have one acquaintance in the public defender's office, but I don't think she's allowed to talk to me and that's a big ask anyway. I know I could look for someone retired, but I don't have the faintest idea of how to go about that. How do fiction writers research how, say, a rape case goes from arrest to trial, what is plausible and what isn't, etc.? Is there a "NYC legal process for dummies" kind of book?

posted by pipti to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Best answer: Your friend could talk to you about anything other than confidential client matters, and I assume there would be internal office stuff she wouldn't be comfortable talking about. But if you're looking for procedural stuff, which it sounds like you are, there's no reason she can't talk to you about that.

But the NY Unified Court System has an online guide for unrepresented people. Most of it is civil, but there's a fairly detailed criminal section. You might want to start there.
posted by holborne at 7:59 AM on September 29, 2017

Best answer: Nolo has lots of good products like these.

This one isn't new york specific but the processes are should be fairly similar. There are also handbooks like this one that should help but I don't think it's written in a "for dummies" manner.
posted by Karaage at 9:05 AM on September 29, 2017

Best answer: I don't know how the legal process works either. Do you need to know all the general stuff before jumping into this one specific trial? My methodology would be to research this case a ton and interview anyone related to it who'd let me, assuming that the professionals would let me know if something was off-limits. You'd probably learn the legal system stuff along the way. But if you wanted an overview of the legal process, could you find an attorney or a criminology professor to sit down with you and give you a crash course? It is a lot to ask, but I'm sure you'll get a yes if you knock on enough doors. As far as online resources, I love the blog http://fixyourwritinghabits.tumblr.com. You can ask them your question, and they are really good at compiling guides and finding experts. They do a lot of things on "how to write about _________ accurately." The info is good for all genres.
posted by mermaidcafe at 9:37 AM on September 29, 2017

Best answer: The Manhattan DA's website gives you an overview of the process in NYC, including a text description and a flow chart. If you still have unanswered questions about how it works, you could do more focused Google searches based on that info.
posted by John Cohen at 1:46 PM on September 29, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks everyone.
posted by pipti at 7:39 AM on October 1, 2017