In October 2012, the armed robbery and kidnapping case for which O.J. Simpson was convicted in 2008 was reopened. Simpson is currently serving 33 years in prison for the charges, but the former football star is hoping to get a new trial. He is claiming that he is entitled to a new trial due to his lawyers’ ineptness during the first trial. This week, Simpson got his first hearings on the possibility of a retrial.

According to an Associated Press report on today’s hearing, Simpson was allowed to have his right hand free during the hearing, to take notes and drink water.

Witnesses were called to testify about the legal advice given by Simpson’s former trial lawyer, Yale Galanter. Simpson’s co-counsel during the trial, Gabriel Grasso, today testified against Galanter’s trial strategy of focusing on Simpson’s claimed ignorance of the guns that were used in the robbery. Galanter is expected to testify on Friday.

Simpson was convicted in 2008 for leading a 2007 armed robbery at the Palace Station hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Simpson and his associates stole memorabilia at gunpoint from a sports memorabilia dealer, claiming that the items had been previously stolen from him. Following the conviction, Simpson appealed, but the conviction was upheld by the Nevada Supreme Court in 2010. Without a new trial, Simpson may only have to serve nine years of his sentence, as he is up for parole in 2017.