Criminal Defense
A trial lawyer must constantly re-examine and improve courtroom performance
Successful courtroom performance necessitates a combination of thorough preparation and improvisation. The preparation is needed just as any battle requires preparation.
Obtaining victory by vibrating away the dung
If we let it happen, we are constantly bombarded with gunk, garbage and negative energy. With me, it can start with something as small as facing a choice between cursing or blessing the driver in front of me who sticks his stinky burning cigarette outside...
A one year maximum jail penalty applies to Virginia misdemeanors that list no jail penalty
In Virginia, if a criminal misdemeanor statute lists no possible jail time, then the offense actually is a Class 1 misdemeanor, carrying up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Va. Code § 18.2-12.
Winning an acquittal calls for helping the jury feel reasonable doubt in their bellies
Preparation is essential for any trial. Then, to bring the trial to higher quantum levels of persuasion, the criminal defense lawyer must feel the fire for his or client in the belly, and share that fire with the jury in a persuasive way.
Cutting to the heart of the winning matter through trial preparation
People so often are busy playing their roles that they hesitate to shed those roles to relate soul to soul. Just about everyone likely yearns to find people with whom to relate soul to soul, but is not ready to bare their soul to just...
September 11 fifteen years later
We cannot wait any longer to reverse all the civil liberties and human rights violations that have been perpetrated by the United States government post-September 11 in the name of fighting terrorism.
Judges benefit all by giving litigants compassion and sufficient time for their cases
Whether or not their colleagues or administrative judges pressure them to do so, many judges in very busy courthouses place a disproportionately high premium on moving dockets along even if at the expense of delivering true justice,
Persuading juries and judges in the Internet and television age of information overload
If the trial lawyer has done his or her job well enough, at the end of the trial, not only will s/he win, but will leave the jury and judge wanting to hear the lawyer talk even more, rather than rushing to their cellphones to...
The tragedy of unrepresented defendants pleading guilty
Unrepresented criminal defendants do all sorts of harmful things to themselves when they appear for their trial date without a lawyer. One recent situation took the cake.
Convictions must not come from scientific shortcuts
Convictions must not come from scientific shortcuts. Yet, we have junk breathalyzer tests for DWI cases used more often than the more reliable blood testing approach