I try cases
I have taken 63 cases to trial since 2015. I have secured outright acquittals in 23 of these cases – roughly 37 % – and partial acquittals in an additional 8.
Dealing with Stuart Schuman of the Defender Association
The file has been returned to me with a note from Stuart Schuman, the misdemeanor supervisor. Uh oh, I think, this can’t be good. I go down to see him.
Handling a U.S. Citation Case in D.C. Superior Court
Here is what every lawyer appearing in D.C. Superior Court should know about handling an arraignment for a U.S. citation.
Lists
I sit across from a colleague in her office at the Public Defender Service in D.C. A list of names from the jail is on her desk. Some of the names have been crossed out. Others have been… Read More
“The First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Lawyers”
Back in my days with the federal government, before I had my own J.D., I hated working with the lawyers. It was not just that they spoke a strange language and treated each other as if they were… Read More
On the Benefits of a Flat Fee Agreement
Criminal defense attorneys often use flat fees; that is, we charge a set sum to cover the entire course of a representation. This includes arraignment, negotiations with the prosecutor, any legal research that needs to be conducted, preliminary… Read More
A New Perspective on Representing Indigent Criminal Defendants
Three months into my court-appointed work in D.C., I now have a completely different perspective on representing indigent criminal defendants. At the time I quit my job as a public defender in Philadelphia after a three-year stint there,… Read More
The Prosecutor Doesn’t Care About You
There is good news and there is bad news for anyone who has ever been charged with a minor criminal offense. The good news is that the government has a ton of these cases that it needs to… Read More
Joining the Adult CJA Panel in D.C.
I have just been appointed to the D.C. Superior Court panel for adult court-appointed cases. I was one of three lawyers appointed on a “provisional” basis. (Three other lawyers were promoted from the provisional panel to the full… Read More
This Is Not About You Or Me
The prosecutor is mad at me. So I send her a quick email to apologize. It is true: I am sorry. I am sorry that she has been sick. I am sorry that her daughter has been sick…. Read More
