Witness testimony moved fast on the first day of the defense’s case in Atlanta lawyer Nathan Hardwick IV’s embezzlement trial in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Lead defense counsel Ed Garland of Garland Samuel & Loeb presented a string of witnesses Wednesday to persuade jurors that much of Hardwick’s heavy spending was aimed at developing and entertaining clients. He also told Judge Eleanor Ross that the defense team might be done by Friday—and has not decided whether Hardwick will testify.