Trial for human trafficking in East Orange, Newark proves a showcase for N.J. lawyers
By Joe Ryan
September 27, 2009, 7:39AM

Defense attorney Burkie O. Adetula, left, and his assistant Deola Dosunmu arrive at the Federal courthouse in Newark for a human trafficking trial.NEWARK -- On day one of the human trafficking trial unfolding in Newark, the jurors shuffled into a wood-paneled federal courtroom while bearing largely blank expressions, as if bracing for weeks of legal tedium.

Then the lawyers took center stage, and the show began.

In a sweeping opening argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Hoppock painted the woman on trial, Akouavi Kpade Afolabi, as a villain plucked from the pages of Charles Dickens, saying Afolabi took girls from poor families in West Africa and mercilessly forced them to toil without pay in New Jersey hair-braiding salons. The defense lawyer, Olubukola O. Adetula, delivered a fiery retort, sweating, pacing and waving his arms as he accused prosecutors of misstating facts and misinterpreting the culture of West Africa, his homeland.

Jurors sat up in their leatherbacked chairs. This, it seemed, would be interesting.

Just as a successful stage play depends on good actors, a riveting criminal trial often depends on the skill and style of the attorneys. Yes, the soaring oration and clever rhetoric is carefully crafted to convince 12 souls performing their civic duty. But it also makes for fascinating viewing.

“There is a real pleasure when you get to watch a good lawyer,â€