“My Lawyer Told Me Not To Talk To Anyone About This Case”

Jamison KoehlerJuveniles

One of the reasons I accept court appointments in juvenile cases – but not adult cases – is that the juveniles generally listen to you.  Even then, you can’t always take that for granted. It was thus very gratifying to read the following exchange described in a psychiatric evaluation for a juvenile client. When the evaluator asked my client about …

Jefferson and Washington monuments

A Guilty Plea at D.C. Superior Court

Jamison KoehlerD.C. Superior Court, Juveniles

Guest Post by Emma Brush A visit to Arlington was the occasion for this undeserved opportunity of mine to post.  Originally, my Uncle Jamie had a jury trial scheduled. Knowing that I was considering law school, he thought it would be fun for me to see. Unfortunately, the court date was postponed.  Fortunately, he had a juvenile case that was …

U.S. Capitol building

Goodbye to Dana Tapper and the PDS Summer Interns

Jamison KoehlerJuveniles

Summer is over, and the Public Defender Service (PDS) interns assigned to the Youth Services Center are gone. Although I never met any of them in person (they were there during the day, and I visit clients evenings and over the weekend), I will miss them very much. So will my clients. The interns were young and smart and had …

In Re D.M.: When Can You Dismiss a Juvenile Case for “Social Reasons”?

Jamison KoehlerCriminal Procedure, Juveniles, Opinions/Cases

The problem with using a canon of statutory interpretation to justify a legal opinion is that you can usually find some other canon to arrive at the exact opposite conclusion. For example, to support its recent holding in In Re D.M., 47 A.3d 539 (D.C. 2012), the D.C. Court of Appeals used the rule that, whenever possible, different provisions within a …

American flag

Ramifications of a Juvenile Adjudication in D.C.

Jamison KoehlerJuveniles

One of the questions parents of a juvenile client often ask me is the effect of a juvenile adjudication on their child’s future. The question often comes up in the context of plea negotiations. If, for example, the government has offered to reduce the charge from robbery to simple assault or theft, the parents want to know if and how …

American flag

Probation. Drugs. School. Then Home.

Jamison KoehlerJuveniles

I have a little speech I like to give to my juvenile clients. I tell them that, while I will be looking out for their legal interests as their lawyer, what happens to them pending trial or if found guilty of the offense will depend far more on what they do for themselves. I then hold up four fingers and …

Aerial view of DC

Ode to My Investigator

Jamison KoehlerInvestigations, Juveniles

  I botched the investigation. I went to the store on Upper Wisconsin Avenue in which my client was alleged to have committed a robbery.  While there, I neglected to look for a critical piece of evidence:  whether or not there was a surveillance camera over the cash register.  As a result, my investigator Wayne Marshall had to go back …

Dealing with the Parents of a Juvenile Client

Jamison KoehlerJuveniles

My client’s mother is annoyed with me.   She disagrees with her 16-year-old son’s decision to take his case to trial, and she is convinced I am the one who talked him into it.  She’s partially right; in this particular case, I did recommend trial.  But it does not matter if the child is 16 years old or 11 years old, …