D.C. skyline

Sometimes A Guilty Verdict Is a Win (At Least That Is What I Tell Myself)

Jamison KoehlerFirearms/Weapons, Law Practice, Trial Advocacy

  Although Virginia juries have a reputation for being unforgiving, I have also been told that juries in Prince William County can be pretty unpredictable. Going into trial yesterday, my client was facing a mandatory 5-year sentence for being a violent felon in possession of a firearm.  During execution of a search warrant at his home, police had recovered a …

U.S. Capitol building

Trial Ad 101: On Reading A Closing Argument at Trial

Jamison KoehlerTrial Advocacy

Sitting in Room 117 of D.C. Superior Court last week, I caught the tail end of a bench trial in which the defense attorney read her closing argument from a sheet of paper. I have no idea how persuasive the content of her argument was because the delivery was so poor.  I had the feeling I was sitting in an …