Question: Why does Pecsi lie so much to the judge about his credentials? He graduated from law school and passed the bar. The boys should be able to have whatever lawyer they want.
troy fox
29th Nov 2003
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Answer: Vinny is an out of state lawyer who (presumably) isn't admitted to practice in Alabama. In order to practice in that jurisdiction, Vinny would have to be admitted "pro hac vice" or "for this occasion only." Especially in capital criminal cases, a defense lawyer must be certified as having a certain level of expertise to avoid later appellate claims of ineffective counsel. In this case, Judge Trotter is actually being fairly lax in just relying on a brief interview of Vinny to make a decision to allow an out of jurisdiction lawyer verbally provide his criminal defense credentials.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Chosen answer: The judge is trying to ensure that Vinny will provide a competent and zealous defense for the boys, and not make a mockery of the courtroom procedure he loves so much. Since Vinny knows that six weeks of civil law practice, and zero courtroom time will not convince him, he lies.
troy fox