Alejandro Stern, P.C.

Alejandro Stern, P.C. is the law firm that represents Rusty Sabich after he is accused of murdering Carolyn Polhemus. Its role is practical as well as formal: Sandy Stern directs the defense, associate Jamie Kemp helps develop it, and Rusty is permitted to assist with research and investigation under Stern’s supervision. The firm’s work gives shape to a defense built from close scrutiny of the evidence and the procedures governing the case.

Representation and Retainer

Within three or four hours of a bizarre meeting in Raymond Horgan’s office, Rusty retains Sandy Stern. Their relationship predates the prosecution: they have done business together for more than a decade, and Rusty has tried about half a dozen cases against him. Stern charges a $25,000 retainer, with time billed at $150 an hour out of court and $300 an hour in court; the remaining balance is to be returned, as a courtesy, if there is no indictment.

Stern’s first instructions establish the boundaries of the representation. Rusty is told not to discuss the charges with anyone, especially not to make further angry speeches to prosecutors; to avoid reporters; and not to quit his job. Stern also expresses confidence that Rusty’s background will help bring the matter to a favorable resolution. The arrangement places a familiar professional relationship under severe pressure: Stern has trusted Rusty’s word in serious and minor matters, yet never directly asks whether he committed the murder.

Preparing the Defense

The firm’s small conference room becomes a working space for the case. Jamie Kemp brings a heavy cardboard box from the County Building, with documents and reports at the front and witness statements at the back. The box’s contents turn the defense from an abstract legal task into a body of evidence to be examined piece by piece.

Stern directs Rusty to identify every flaw in the prosecution’s circumstantial case and insists that the evidence and witnesses be reviewed scrupulously, repeatedly, and without delay. Each deficiency, he explains, increases the burden on Nico Delia Guardia to account for the case. Stern summons Kemp to join the discussion because it may generate discovery motions the defense will soon need to file.

To control expenses, Stern allows Rusty to assist with research and investigation, but only under his direction. Rusty and Kemp share the work of a junior lawyer, a collaboration Rusty finds more enjoyable than expected. Kemp, who has been Stern’s associate for about a year, contributes both legal work and a contrasting presence: Rusty recalls his earlier reputation in the prosecutor’s office as preppy and self-regarding, while acknowledging that he likes him despite Kemp’s occasional amused detachment.

Position in Court

The firm’s representation becomes official when Kemp appears for Rusty in court and requests leave to file the firm’s appearance. The motion is allowed, and the court record identifies Stern and Co. as Rusty’s lawyers. Kemp then acknowledges receipt of the indictment, waives its formal reading, and asks the court to enter a plea of not guilty on Rusty’s behalf.

That formal appearance also sharpens the contrast between Rusty’s former professional standing and his new position as a defendant. Nico Delia Guardia appears for the prosecution with Thomas Molto; hearing Molto introduced under a prosecutorial title briefly unsettles Rusty. The firm’s courtroom act is procedural, but it marks the transfer of Rusty’s case into an adversarial process in which Stern and his associates must defend him against former colleagues.

Method and Significance

Alejandro Stern, P.C. is presented through its conduct of the defense rather than through details about its institutional history. Stern’s measured instructions, Kemp’s handling of the case materials, and Rusty’s supervised participation together define its method: contain the client’s exposure, test the prosecution’s evidence, and turn possible weaknesses into legal arguments and discovery requests.

The firm’s work also brings an unresolved personal question into the center of legal representation. Stern asks about Rusty’s physical relationship with Carolyn, and Rusty answers yes, but Stern never puts the ultimate question of guilt to him. His professional care proceeds without that direct inquiry, leaving trust, uncertainty, and the conventions of criminal defense to occupy the same room as the evidence.