Page 9 - Phoenix Vol 11 No 1

Additionally, Wieneke success- fully defended the Arizona De- partment of Corrections in Lewis v. Casey, a case that worked its way all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, and, in 2013, was recognized by Arizona Attorney Magazine as one of the top 50 Arizona cases in the last 100 years.
LESSONS LEARNED
As a female trial lawyer in a male-dominated practice area, Wieneke is sometimes underesti- mated, but she never takes it per- sonally.
“Sometimes there is an assump- tion by opposing counsel that I don’t really know what I’m talk- ing about because I am a female trial attorney practicing in a male
dominated area of law,” said Wieneke. “But, I just focus on something one of my mentors once said: ‘ e biggest threat to a male trial lawyer in a courtroom is a really good female trial lawyer.’ You could either try to be nice or too mean, but it’s nearly impossible to nd that balance.”
Wieneke described a case she once tried where the opposition table consisted of three male attorneys paired with three sets of plain- ti s. e rst chair attorney started his closing argument with the sentence, “Trials are not about who is the best dressed.” Unfortunately for him, his choice of words back red in front of the mostly female jury. But, Wieneke noted, a er years of gathering stories like that, she is used to it by now. “And I think a er all these years,” Wieneke adds, “times are changing for the better.”
When it comes to talking to juries, my goal is “to ensure that the ‘halo of truth’ is radiating from my head,” explained Wieneke. “I lay out the facts and explain the law in such a way that the jury cannot help but trust me and rely on me to point them toward True North. If you lie, or engage in any type of circular reason- ing, the jury will know and vote against you.”
SPEAKING AND TRAINING ENGAGEMENTS
Just as others helped her, today Wieneke ensures that she imparts her wisdom to new and up-and-coming attorneys through men- torship.
Wieneke’s years of experience have also created unique opportunities for her to edu- cate and train others in her chosen practice areas. An o -requested speaker, she has giv- en countless presentations on topics ranging from public safety issues to civil defense prac- tices. For example, she conducts training for tra c engineers regarding road design issues.
My job is to defend people who run toward bullets and burning buildings when everyone else is running away.”
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