Surviving the Virginia Bar Exam: Reflections After Day One
February 24, 2010
Norfolk, Va. — Before starting law school, I read a number of books on how to survive your first year. One book dealt with law school etiquette. Top among its rules was not to discuss an examination with… Read More
On Rushed and Ill-Considered Guilty Pleas
February 12, 2010
Last summer, my 19-year-old daughter decided that she wanted to come see me in court. I had just given notice of my intention to resign from the Defender Association of Philadelphia effective at the end of the month,… Read More
A Public Defender with a Sense of Humor
February 10, 2010
A couple of weeks ago, I complained about the lack of criminal law blogs done by women. I also bemoaned the fact that, with a few exceptions, there do not seem to be many public defender blogs that… Read More
Hamilton Burger on the “Jury Trial Tax”
February 2, 2010
A good friend of mine, a former prosecutor in Massachusetts and Virginia, has criticized my blog for its defense-centric viewpoint. The actual words he used, if I recall correctly, were “criminal apologisms.” Since I will be need to… Read More
Philadelphia: Where the One-Eyed Man is King
January 30, 2010
My wife does not read this blog. I understand. She’s busy. Friends or family will tell her they enjoyed something they read on the blog and she will smile and thank them, but she really has no clue… Read More
Preparing for the Virginia Bar Examination
In 24 days I will be sitting down to take another bar, this time in Virginia. The idea, which seemed like a pretty good idea when I came up with it last fall, is that I will be… Read More
Felony-Murder and the Case of Annie Le
January 27, 2010
A loyal reader (okay, it’s my brother-in-law George) has asked me to explain the difference between murder and felony-murder. George learned of the distinction while reading about yesterday’s not guilty plea in the Yale graduate student murder case. … Read More
The “Jury Trial Tax”: The Penalty for Insisting on a Jury Trial
January 23, 2010
It is a sad but well-known fact among criminal defense lawyers in many jurisdictions that if you insist on a jury trial and lose, you will get a stiffer penalty than if you lose the same case in… Read More
The Challenges Of Being A Solo Practitioner
January 14, 2010
I was sorry to learn this morning that one of my favorite legal bloggers – Michael McLees of Fast Texas Divorce – has decided to discontinue his blog. Writes McLees on a recent entry: “I’m just not sure… Read More
Listening to the Witness on Cross-Examination
January 6, 2010
This guy has his eye put out in an accident. He can’t afford a glass eye, so the eye doctor puts in a fake eye made of wood instead. The guy is very self-conscious about his wood eye,… Read More
