Trials and Jury Trials with Jennifer Penman and Dirk Derstine

“What you are doing in your cross-examination is trying to paint a picture…It’s theatre because you’re conveying a message. It’s theatre when you walk up to your accused’s water glass and drink out of his water glass because he’s just a regular guy. It’s theatre when you put your hand on his shoulder in the box because he’s just a human being just like you, he’s not some sort of monster….It’s important that every cross examination be curated for exactly what it is intended to do and that it not all be monochromatic.”

In 1999, Jennifer and Dirk joined as partners in the firm, Derstine Penman, where they continue to be partners today. Since becoming a lawyer, Jennifer Penman has practiced criminal defence law at all levels of the Ontario courts. Over the course of her career, Jennifer has vigorously defended any and all types of criminal charges in numerous jury and non-jury trials with charges ranging from murder to manslaughter and sexual assault to trafficking drugs. Dirk Derstine was called to the bar in 1993 and has dedicated his career to providing a strong defence to those charged with very serious crimes. He has been counsel in over a hundred jury trials and over forty murder trials, a number of them being extremely high profile and complex homicides. He also frequently appears on indictable appeals, both in the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Learn about Jennifer and Dirk’s love for the courtroom and their practice when preparing for trials and jury trials.

Produced by: Zenia Sethna and Jason Cooper