All change: here I come, kids

After two and a half years handling felony cases in the 167th District court, I am being transferred to a different division:

Juvenile.

What does this mean? Well, it means I'll be handling cases involving kids aged 10-17, both misdemeanors and felonies. I'm told it's a different pace and that the emphasis, even more so that in adult court, is on getting the kids back on track and avoiding, wherever possible, the stigma of a criminal conviction.

So, it's a new office for me, which means losing my view of the jail. Heart-breaking, I know. No window at all in the new digs, actually. But I'll be at the juvenile court two days a week, back in the office the other three.

The one big downside for me is that I'll probably not get any jury trials for my time there. For whatever reason, they just don't happen there.

But, I do plan on keeping a couple of cases. One is a capital murder case and the other is already set for trial, a sexual assault case. That one goes in October, so hopefully I won't get too rusty.

Overall, I'm very happy because I'm the kind of person who likes change, I like to learn new things and meet new people.

I'm guessing I'll have some good stories to share in the coming months, though as ever I'll have to be super careful about the details and not give to much away.

But join me for the switcheroo, it'll be interesting.