New judge ready to put experience to work
By Steve Fry
The Capital-Journal
Published Monday, August 25, 2008
OATH OF OFFICE
David B. Debenham will be sworn in as the newest Shawnee County District Court judge during ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. today in the Division 14 courtroom at the Shawnee County Courthouse, 200 S.E. 7th.
"The trial attorney is on the ground floor of where the action takes place," said Debenham, who will be sworn in as Shawnee County's newest district judge today.
A trial lawyer is the person conferring with victims or defendants, witnesses, police officers and experts and deciding the theory of the case to be presented to the jury as well as persuading jurors to come back with the right decision, he said. (this blows)
"I felt that the trial attorney was in the best possible role to seek justice for the victim or the client," Debenham said. (Client? Not Perp and victim? But Victim and 'Client')
He had good teachers at Abilene High School, then at Bethany College who "pushed me more than I thought I should be pushed," Debenham said. (at a christian college? sigh-)They pushed Debenham to get the most out of him, and he chose the law. -yupper indeedy-
In law school, Debenham worked in liquor stores where he could study during the slow hours.
The quickest way to be a trial lawyer was to work as a public defender or a prosecutor. In his last year in law school, he got a job in the Shawnee County District Attorney's office as a legal intern and consumer fraud investigator, which worked its way into a full-time job as an assistant district attorney.
He handled theft, burglary and bad check cases, and a interned when a jury convicted a first-degree murder.
"I kind of found my niche in these cases. I liked to do those," he said.
A homicide case also is difficult because of the human drama in which the victim never comes home, and the defendant's family might lose a family member to prison, Debenham said.
Debenham is taking the domestic assignment to avoid any appearance of bias while former colleagues in the district attorney's office are trying criminal cases,
Shawnee County taxpayers can expect Debenham will do a good job ....
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