Defense strategy of pro se defendant this morning consisted mostly of making faces during the police officer’s testimony. Note to self: Not real effective. Surprisingly enough, the prosecutor still felt the need for argument.
Over at My Shingle, Carolyn Elefant muses about finding herself on the other end of the attorney-client relationship; in this case, as one of over 80 defendants in what started out as Rakofsky v. The Washington Post, what one wag dubbed Rakofsky v. The Internet, and, with Rakofsky’s lawyer giving notice to withdraw from the case, what now appears to …
Over at Chicago Criminal Defense, Marcus Schantz writes about the challenge of representing an incarcerated client who fancies himself a lawyer. With much at stake, time on his hands, and access to a prison “library” (often a converted broom closet with a few outdated law books), a client might spend hours poring over law books, drafting motions, and developing strategies for …
One of the advantages to being a criminal defense attorney, at least one who defends people accused of street crimes as opposed to white collar offenses, is that you get your money upfront. There is the initial negotiation. There is the payment, which usually goes into the attorney’s trust fund account. With that out of the way, the attorney can …
You are wearing one of the good suits you save for trial. Your trial notebook is at your side. You got up early to exercise, and now you are feeling rested, relaxed, and confident. You don’t go to trial as a private practitioner nearly as much as you did as a public defender or prosecutor, and you savor these moments …
JW, one of my favorite readers/commenters, has proposed a blog topic. He says he has read a lot about what a client should look for when hiring a criminal defense lawyer. Now that JW himself is in the market for a lawyer, he would like to know what a lawyer considers when deciding whether or not to take on …
There is no good way to charge for legal services, I am persuaded. Clients come in need. They are afraid and angry. They want a hero, a savior, a warrior. You offer them what you can. Most often it is enough. But sometimes it is not. A client grows disenchanted, angry, they want what you cannot give. It is a …
There is always a lot of discussion over at the ABA listserv Solosez about client relations. People talk about the need to sometimes fire a client, which, from what people say, almost seems like a rite of passage for most lawyers. Consider me now initiated. Today I had to fire my first client. I was reluctant to do it. It …
You watch him go. You realize that, from his perspective, the future is nothing more than a quick visit with the judge, a bologna sandwich and coke for lunch, and then a trip back to the detention center to gather his things. So yes, you think again, this time with more certainty, it will be for forever.
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, and she thought this might be the last opportunity to see me working as a public defender. I was running the list …