On the judges who take the bench on time

Jamison KoehlerLaw Practice, Trial Advocacy

The judge takes the bench at 9:15 am. That she does this every day without fail is a sign of respect for herself, for the system, and for every person who appears in front of her. And it makes my job easier too: Make sure you are there no later than 9:00 o’clock, I tell clients. If we are first …

From Law School to Law Practice: The Importance of Clinicals

Jamison KoehlerLaw Practice

Unless we were working in some capacity in which we were actually dealing with clients, everything we learned in law school was theoretical.  Maybe we motivated ourselves by imagining that some day we would be able to apply what we were learning.  More likely, considering that many of us had no idea at the time what area of the law …

Common Sense in Dealing with Court Staff

Jamison KoehlerLaw Practice

It is a foolish lawyer who offends court personnel. During my first year as a public defender in Philadelphia, one of my colleagues made the mistake of being less than respectful toward a court clerk in a preliminary hearing room. Passing the word to his colleagues, the clerk did his best to make her life as miserable as possible thereafter. …

What We Learn About Our Colleagues

Jamison KoehlerLaw Practice, Trial Advocacy

We feel like we know our colleagues. We know who the good ones are and we know who the bad ones are. But that is based mostly on reputation. We spend a lot of time together in the courtroom waiting for our cases to be called. But we rarely see each other at trial. Trials usually begin in the late …

You Have To Love The Law Books

Jamison KoehlerLaw Practice

I just treated myself to the entire Wayne LaFave collection:  3 volumes on substantive criminal law, 6 volumes on search and seizure, and 7 volumes on criminal procedure.  I had been coveting the criminal procedure set in the lawyer’s lounge of D.C. Superior Court.  Now I have my own.  And once I got onto the phone with the Thomson West …

Taking The Fall For A Client

Jamison KoehlerLaw Practice, Professional Responsibility/Ethics

If you work for the federal government, you have a boss. Depending on the structure and size of an organization, staffers normally work for a branch chief.  The branch chief reports to a division director who, in turn, reports to an office director.  The office director works for an undersecretary or an assistant secretary, and that person reports to the …

U.S. Capitol Building

On lawyers who take on more than they can handle

Jamison KoehlerLaw Practice, Professional Responsibility/Ethics

Back when I worked for the federal government, there were some employees who were really, really busy.  You knew this because their offices were a mess.  Their telephones were no longer accepting messages.  They had that harried look.  And they always talked about how busy they were, especially when you came in to give them more work. Despite all this, …

U.S. Capitol building

Baltimore Won’t Have Me To Kick Around Just Yet

Jamison KoehlerLaw Practice

This whole “transitioning my practice to Baltimore” thing may be more difficult than I had been thinking. I met with my Maryland mentor last week.  It is great that the Maryland Professionalism Center offers this opportunity for people who have just passed the Bar, and I was fortunate to be assigned to this particular person.  My mentor practices criminal defense …