Michaela Giesecke

Mrs. Tranel
English IV/4
3 November 2015
Interview with Herman (Chuck) Watson
I interviewed Mr. Chuck Watson with Watson Law Office. Mr. Watson is a
defense attorney and his areas of practice include assault, criminal and drug offenses
along with DUIs, federal crimes, medical marijuana, professional licensing, sex offense
and theft offense. He has been practicing law for 31 years and received the NAACP
criminal justice award in 1990. Mr. Watson was the perfect person to interview because
my topic, the sociology of crime, corresponds with his practice of criminal defense.
Interviewing a defense attorney gave me insight to the legal system and how it operates
regarding criminals. I googled defense attorneys in Bozeman, and that is how I found
Watson. After speaking with his secretary, we scheduled an interview.
During the interview, I learned that there is little that Mr. Watson dislikes about
his job. He enjoys meeting and working with all different kinds of people. He believes it
is our responsibility to deal with damaged members of our species and our goal should be
to improve the world. He believes that it is not our place to judge people, but to protect
them. The idea of perfecting human nature is a problem, Watson says. Aside from
learning that Mr. Watson enjoys his work as a defense attorney, I also learned some facts
about criminality in Bozeman. According to Watson, DUI offenses are the most common
crimes committed in our town. The targeted age group is generally 25 and younger.
Alcohol is the biggest factor that causes crime in Bozeman, Watson says. He believes that

the liberal use of alcohol on campus is dangerous and the university is manufacturing
alcoholics.
After speaking with Mr. Watson I learned several new things as well. Not all cases
go to trial, in fact a very small percentage (6-7% to be exact) of his cases go to trial every
year. It is quite common that plea bargains are made instead. I also noted that Watson sees
no real pattern throughout his clients, that all his cases have been varied. Mr. Watson does
a lot of work outside of Montana, accounting for his diverse clients. He has had cases all
over the country and even in other countries such as Canada, Mexico, Germany and
England. He claims to be a famous man living in a small town. This was something I did
not expect. He is a very credible defense attorney and has worked on cases ranging from
disorderly conduct to the biggest drug case in Canadian history.
The interview also had many interesting aspects to it. I found it exciting that Mr.
Watson has worked on cases not only in America, but in other countries as well. Mr.
Watson is a man who seems very confident in himself, and that is something that
definitely supports his work as a defense attorney. I also discovered that attorneys are
unable to reveal the truth of their client if the client admits to a crime, unless there are
special circumstances. But rather attorneys must give thought to what their client will
testify to in court, making sure to never commit perjury. It was also interesting to learn
that defense attorneys are allowed to drop clients in whatever case they choose. Mr.
Watson stated that he only drops clients if they are exceptionally rude, if they have no
money to pay for their defense and if the case is too big to be properly handled.
In my research paper, I spent minimal time discussing defense attorneys and their
role in the sociology of crime. I focused more on the causes and effects of crime in my

essay. But, interviewing a local defense attorney has strengthened my high level research
immensely and although I do not have any previous research to be confirmed about
defense attorneys, this interview has definitely embellished my project. Looking back at
my interview with Mr. Watson, I feel that I asked all the questions I had hoped to. He was
very helpful in explaining his answers thoroughly and even asking me some questions of
his own. Together, we covered various topics regarding criminal defense and in
conclusion I certainly feel I collected all the information I needed.
I believe the interview I conducted with Mr. Chuck Watson was extremely
valuable to my project. I learned new things regarding criminal defense that enlightened
my understanding of the legal system and its role with criminals. After speaking with Mr.
Watson, I didnt come to any decision as to what my overall project will consist of. But
after compiling all my research, I hope to find a project that will wrap everything together
effectively. Mr. Watson is certainly a person I would like to further work with, I am very
interested in the study of law and I believe I could learn a lot from him. Mr. Watson
invited me back to speak with him more if I needed and he was very helpful in answering
all my questions. I feel lucky to have interviewed Mr. Watson as he was cooperative and
supportive of my project. This experience was beneficial to my project and I am thankful
Mr. Watson was able to help me begin reaching my goal of collecting high level research
through different aspects of criminal law.