Gangster Jackie Tran to be deported

[Vulcan]

The photo was a cheap shot at lawyers in general and played on the stereotype many people hold towards members of the Bar.

I didn't take that as a cheap shot at lawyers at all. It was a well deserved shot at a particular lawyer gained by my personal experience. In my opinion of course.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I've worked for the Calgary Bar Association. My buddies in law school would often defend people for free or part of their program or also work for legal aid. Lawyers don't have the same bad rap in Canada as in the US. I think they are pretty well respected and many recognize the efforts of legal aid and the friendliness of the legal community.
I still feel that legal fees are quite high, but I feel the same about many professional services ($500 to clean my gums? what?)



IIRC, Tran's lawyer was a young east indian guy who used to work for a larger firm but became independant and had a modest fee. Der however is a common CP joke on many threads.

I won't weigh in on whether Der's reputation around here has been earned or not, but I do think that Tran's lawyer has been unfairly criticized. I know the guy a little bit and perhaps that's why I've been overly sensitive. I've seen and heard the crap that he had to put up with merely because he vigorously and zealously defended his client all the while seeking every recourse available to him in our justice system.

In my view, he did only what he should have and has done nothing wrong. He's had people trash him on a personal level in this thread, in Calgary Sun letters to the editor, in emails and voice mails. I feel for Tran's lawyer and I don't think he should have had to endure that kind of BS.

For anyone interested, here is Tran's lawyer's latest blog posting about the Myth of Jackie Tran: http://immlawyer.blogs.com/my_weblog...ckie-tran.html

[The Yen Man]

Well, I take it as a given that the media will always be able to whip the general public into a pitchfork frenzy. That's just how the media operates. I'm not saying whether Tran should be or shouldn't be allowed to stay in the country, that's for the courts to decide. But you have to admit, the media tries its hardest to sensationalize this story as much as possible, and as a result, you get angry people demanding this or that without full knowledge of what goes on in the background.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by fredr123

I won't weigh in on whether Der's reputation around here has been earned or not, but I do think that Tran's lawyer has been unfairly criticized. I know the guy a little bit and perhaps that's why I've been overly sensitive. I've seen and heard the crap that he had to put up with merely because he vigorously and zealously defended his client all the while seeking every recourse available to him in our justice system.

In my view, he did only what he should have and has done nothing wrong. He's had people trash him on a personal level in this thread, in Calgary Sun letters to the editor, in emails and voice mails. I feel for Tran's lawyer and I don't think he should have had to endure that kind of BS.

For anyone interested, here is Tran's lawyer's latest blog posting about the Myth of Jackie Tran: http://immlawyer.blogs.com/my_weblog...ckie-tran.html

I think a lot of people really do not understand what kind of personal sacrifices that lawyers make for their profession. I work with a lot of lawyers and while on average they do tend to make well-above average money relative to the broad strata of society (which is probably where the resentment/jokes/negative sentiment come from), they do not make as much as other professions who work the same kind of long hours.

Investment Bankers generally make more than lawyers and work roughly similar hours and do not have to go through years of law school and articling.

[mykalberta]

I think alot of times lawyers get combined with the legal system. Its the legal system that failed us here, any non canadian who commits a crime should be deported as soon as convicted - do not pass go, do not go to jail, get sent back to where you are from.

I wont comment on dollar sign eyes as he seems a nice enough guy at the gym, even if he does do his stretching without any socks or shoes on.

Thankfully me an my family havnt had to deal with lawyers or the courts alot. On the two times we did, it was very hard to discern whether it was dodgy lawyers or a dodgy system that was responsible.

[Bobblehead]

So what happens if Vietnam refuses to accept him back?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

So what happens if Vietnam refuses to accept him back?

[RyZ]

I hope they sent all his friends with him.

[amorak]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

So what happens if Vietnam refuses to accept him back?

Mid flight parachute over the Pacific, baby!

[Two Fivenagame]

na na naaa naaa

na na naaa naaa

hey hey heeeey

G T F OOOOOOO

[CaptainCrunch]

We need a criminal deportation rail gun.

[Two Fivenagame]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

We need a criminal deportation rail gun.

...ya and it's attached to a giant red lever like Conan's Walker Texas Ranger Lever

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by fredr123

I've seen and heard the crap that he had to put up with merely because he vigorously and zealously defended his client all the while seeking every recourse available to him in our justice system.

In my view, he did only what he should have and has done nothing wrong. He's had people trash him on a personal level in this thread, in Calgary Sun letters to the editor, in emails and voice mails. I feel for Tran's lawyer and I don't think he should have had to endure that kind of BS.

Why does he put up with it then? Why work in that capacity? Couldn't he practice in a different area of the law?

I understand the court system - I understand the necessity of Defence Lawyers, I just don't understand how they be comfortable with their own existence. How do they feel when they go home and KNOW that they just put a criminal on the streets? You can only hide behind the romantic notion of blind lady justice for so long before it must start to eat away at you. How do they feel when they see someone they sprung commit another crime? What if someone they knew or loved ended up being a victim to someone they help set free?

I don't know any defense lawyers but I'd love to pick their brain a bit about this. Not a finger in the chest kind of conversation but one to really get an understanding of their mindset.

[amorak]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

Why does he put up with it then? Why work in that capacity? Couldn't he practice in a different area of the law?

I understand the court system - I understand the necessity of Defence Lawyers, I just don't understand how they be comfortable with their own existence. How do they feel when they go home and KNOW that they just put a criminal on the streets? You can only hide behind the romantic notion of blind lady justice for so long before it must start to eat away at you. How do they feel when they see someone they sprung commit another crime? What if someone they knew or loved ended up being a victim to someone they help set free?

I don't know any defense lawyers but I'd love to pick their brain a bit about this. Not a finger in the chest kind of conversation but one to really get an understanding of their mindset.

I have worked with many lawyers in my time as a professional, though not defense lawyers. However, I have always been interested in what makes someone become a defense lawyer and I have asked my lawyer friends and acquaintances the same sort of questions you bring up.

Their response inevitably surrounds a common theme - "The Common Good".

These people really believe in the justice system and in a persons right to defend themselves. Most of them don't believe in helping criminals escape prosecution, but the opposite - In ensuring that innocents are not prosecuted.

I take my hats off to these guys, other than Der, that guy's a doof

They really believe in our common right to defend ourselves, and they make a lot of sacrifices for it.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

Why does he put up with it then? Why work in that capacity? Couldn't he practice in a different area of the law?

I understand the court system - I understand the necessity of Defence Lawyers, I just don't understand how they be comfortable with their own existence. How do they feel when they go home and KNOW that they just put a criminal on the streets? You can only hide behind the romantic notion of blind lady justice for so long before it must start to eat away at you. How do they feel when they see someone they sprung commit another crime? What if someone they knew or loved ended up being a victim to someone they help set free?

I don't know any defense lawyers but I'd love to pick their brain a bit about this. Not a finger in the chest kind of conversation but one to really get an understanding of their mindset.

A lot of the really bad negative comments were racially-based. "Go back ter where ya came from" kind of stuff. Which is sad because, if I recall, he was born in some really crappy place like Winnipeg.

Why put up with it? Someone has to do it, right? There are plenty of areas in which our current justice system could use some improvement but I shudder to think what it would look like if accused persons were not given access to competent legal counsel. It is up to those counsel to remind the Court of what needs to be proved and make sure the Crown does its job. Could you imagine what would happen to people like Tran, or Samrat Dhuna or the cement truck driver if he was left to defend himself? The media and general public already convicted those guys long before the courtroom doors were even unlocked to start the trial.

We've all agreed to live in a country where you will not get convicted unless there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Sometimes proof falls short of that standard and guys that we all think *must* be guilty are set free.

I've successfully permitted a number of questionable individuals to roam the streets in the past. Most of them, I don't think twice about but a couple of them bother me a little bit. I keep telling myself that it's up to the police to thoroughly investigate the offence and it's up to the Crown to prove the case to a certain standard. If they fail to do that, then it's not my problem. That doesn't always help on those nights when you're overcome by insomnia though.

[CaptainCrunch]

I think a lot of the frustration comes from the judging of the cases, the sentencing and the appeals that we hear about. But its convienient to turn a jaded eye on the defense lawyers.

I think we get sick and tired of soft sentences for the convicted, I think we get tired of a convicted person getting a harsher sentence and the first thing the defense lawyer says is that its too harsh or punative and pushing for sentencing appeals.

Frankly when it comes to the law most of us are frankly lay persons but we have an instinct when it comes to horrible crimes that the punishment should be reflective of that instinct.

We get tired of hearing about a pedophile getting two or three years and the defense lawyer crying that the sentence is too harsh, or a murderer getting 5 years and its too harsh.

We get tired of the parole announcements where a person is getting out after serving a third of their sentence for a violent crime.

I don't blame the defense lawyers personally, they're suppossed to provide a stiff and compentant defense, I do blame the way the justice system has set up the law and the punishment lengths and allowed criminals to stay in remand so they get two to one or three to one credit.

Just for once I'd like to see a defense lawyer say "I tried but frankly I think the sentence was fair"

I guess what I get tired of is the drowning out of the victims voices because we as a society want to be perceived as fair and compassionate to the offender.

I really get tired when it seems that the judges don't have common sense or don't get offended by the severity of the crime.

The old saying is that justice is suppossed to be blind and balanced, but I don't believe it is because its become corrupted by the concepts of pity, or compassion or mercy. I don't believe honestly and I'm going to take sh$t for saying it, but those emotions shouldn't be placed in front of the concept of a justice system.

[Buzzard]

Done Deal.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Al...683/story.html

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

this is the best part. Too busy being a gangsta to file the paperwork.


Tran came to Canada with his mother as a child in 1993. Tran is a permanent resident, but never became a Canadian citizen, which would have prevented his deportation.

Sicen he was a kid, his mother could've applied for citizenship and become a citizen and he would've automatically became one too.

Originally Posted by Buzzard

Done Deal.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Al...683/story.html

Glad hes gone! Does this solve the problem though? One gone but 10 more probably want to be his replacement in that gang!

[Yeah_Baby]

I'm assuming the gang replaced him a while back. I mean Tran had to keep a lowish profile no?