I learned this lesson the hard way. I have weird facial tics. People often remark that I must be a very happy go lucky guy because I often smile involuntarily

I learned this lesson the hard way. I have weird facial tics. People often remark that I must be a very happy go lucky guy because I often smile involuntarily (or maybe that's the default position of my lips). During a pleading where I was highly anxious, a judge thought I wasn't taking the matter at hand seriously because I was smiling and decided to throw the book at me for that. This phenomenon is also what caused "Foxy Knoxy" to be immediately labeled guilty. One would think that judges would judge people by more objective measures, but sometimes they can be the worst judge of character. Protip: If you have to appear in front of a judge, try your best to be the first party the judge sees in the morning or right after lunch. Your chances of a favorable judgment lessen as time wears on and judge's get cranky. I use this same philosophy for job interviews: try to appear before the interviewer at the least stressful time, and they are more likely to view you favorably. ALWAYS lawyer up with the best you can afford. Justice may be blind, but the more money you have and, accordingly, the higher a quality of lawyer you can afford, the more "justice" you will receive. That's why it's so difficult for rich/powerful people to ever land inside a jail cell.