Starting a criminal defense practice after Covid
June 16, 2020
The changes now being effected in response to the pandemic — specifically the trend toward on-line hearings — could pose challenges for new lawyers seeking to start criminal defense practices in D.C.
Criminal defense in the Covid era
June 15, 2020
We will learn. We will adapt. But as with so many other things in our lives, there will be the pre- and the post-Covid eras. Things will never be the same.
Expunging marijuana arrest/conviction in D.C.
June 2, 2020
Offenses that have been decriminalized (for example, the possession of a small amount of marijuana) present one of the most promising options for sealing or expunging a criminal record in Washington, D.C.
Unlawful Entry in D.C.: Odumn v. United States
June 1, 2020
According to D.C. Court of Appeals decision in Odumn v. United States, “a landlord may not prohibit a tenant from inviting a third party onto leased premises for a lawful purpose, nor may the landlord prohibit such third party from entering or exiting the property through the property’s common space.”
A “no-lose” question at a CPO hearing
May 22, 2020
You have to love the “no-lose” questions on cross-examination. Yes or no. You win no matter how the witness responds.
Writing about Covid-19 and the D.C. jail
April 21, 2020
How do you write about COVID-19 and the D.C. jail without resorting to hyperbole? How do you ask the judge to bend the rules?
The stupefied police officer
February 15, 2020
Police officers have all the answers on direct examination. The clarity and animation disappear when it comes time to answer questions from the defense.
Judges are human
February 1, 2020
The judge does not say: I am not willing to take your word for this, and I need to have a law clerk check this out. What he says instead: It is time for lunch. We will pass this matter until 2:00 pm.
White men, on the margin
January 29, 2020
My mother once said that the hardest part about getting old was the fear of being marginalized. She felt this particularly acutely as an older woman. She complained about feeling invisible.
Dealing with the crazies in C10
January 22, 2020
With almost 100 people making their way through arraignment court every day, it is inevitable that there will be a melt-down or two. After all, we are dealing with people who are finishing what for many of them will be the worst day of their lives.
