Criminal Defense

Criminal defense work does not suit just anyone. Those who thrive on being part of the “in-crowd” since high school on up, right to college fraternities and to country clubs, might feel like fish out of water doing criminal defense. Former prosecutors, former cops, and...

Awhile back, a prosecutor interrupted my argument — as many prosecutors have a penchant to do — near the very beginning of the hearing that I had scheduled on my own motion. I let my irritation get the better of  me  — with irritation and anger...

Virginia legal practice is full of formality, starting with the overformality of requiring bar exam takers to wear courtroom attire, offset by requiring shoe soles that do not go clippity-clop on floors, thus permitting the silly clash of athletic shoes against dark suits. How does...

Why do so many people freak about public human nudity, about letting it all hang out, when nobody freaks out that all other animals walk around nude? The human lack of fur does not answer the question, because I can spot a male elephant from...

At trial, cross-examining a runaway police officer can be dangerous. Ask the officer whether the alleged criminal incident was recorded by audio and/or video, and s/he might reply: “Recording was not necessary, seeing that officer A saw the defendant sell cocaine to a pedestrian, officer B...

All trials on behalf of criminal defendants have their own challenges and opportunities. Here are some significant challenges that will or might come the way of a criminal defense lawyer in a multidefendant case: The co-defendants’ lawyers must find as much harmonious effort as possible in...

Most criminal defendants do not care how they win, just as long as they win. For most criminal defendants, a case dismissal is as good as an acquittal in most respects. Here are some key differences: An acquittal prohibits the defendant from being re-prosecuted for...

Judy Clarke stands behind the late Bob Rose (who is wearing an eyepatch), and two people to the left of my trial law hero Steve Rench. The rest of the photo is here. (1995, Thunderhead Ranch, Dubois, Wyoming); I am pictured around four people to...

My first few years as my own boss, starting in 1998, were immediately filled with joy over achieving my longtime dream of having no boss but myself. A corollary to being one’s own boss is that I have no salary safety net. I am the...

Police run the gamut of very intelligent to having spelling and grammar errors embarrassingly galore on their police reports. Sadly, plenty of otherwise intelligent criminal suspects think they can outsmart police. Even the most unintelligent police officer has the advantage over suspects by not being...