Intimidating judges can only intimidate if you let them, says Farifax criminal lawyer

Intimidating judges act intimidatingly either out of non-intent or intending to push guilty / no contest pleas, to move things along, or to create lack of confidence by a criminal defendant in his or her lawyer. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I notify my clients in advance not to anticpate a jolly, Santa Claus-type judge, but a judge who wants the docket completed before the court closing time, at the very least. The more that a Virginia criminal defendant trusts and relies on his or her attorney, the less that the defendant will allow the judge to place a wedge into the attorney-client relationship. If you have the right lawyer, the only person who fully cares about your cause and only your cause is your Virginia criminal defense lawyer.

Intimidating judges need no cursing under one’s silent breath, but a fully prepared Virginia criminal defense

Intimidating judges sometimes stop acting that way once they know that they cannot intimidate, and that all will go more smoothly to simply let the parties try their case. One day, I entered the courtroom of a judge who has been known for years to be a harsh sentencer. This judge was powerless to give my client even ten seconds in jail, because this was a jury trial for a public intoxication charge, where the only possible penalty is a fine up to $250, plus court costs. Nonetheless ,no sooner was our case transferred to this judge’s courtroom, than that the first words out of his mouth from the bench were not “good morning” but “Can’t this case be settled?” A dismissal was all my client was willing to accept. I told the judge we were unable to reach settlement with the prosecutor, and asked to see the final jury list for our courtroom prior to the jury coming in. Instead, the judge called in the jury, and the jury list was not handed to me until that directive was made. My client had confidence in my ability to win, even though this was an appeal from a conviction in Virginia General District Court. To his credit, the judge let me try my case, barely interfering at all from jury selection right to closing argument, and said nary a negative word to the jury for acquitting my client.

Watch the magic that unfolds when you as the criminal defendant let your Virginia criminal defense lawyer fully defend you in court

I do not do things by the book as a Fairfax criminal lawyer. When tried and true methods work, fine. When unorthodox methods are needed, fine. Some would-be intimidating judges get downright dismissive and even hostile when a Virginia criminal defense lawyer makes areguments or does things in a way that the judge has never seen before. If people always stuck to the old way of doing things, the wheel would never have been created, and that same judge would have had to walk to the courthouse from home rather than driving there.

Another criminal defense lawyer’s experience of obtaining an acquittal despite the judge’s scolding the lawyer

More on intimdating judges- One of the most beneficial lessons I got at the Trial Lawyers College — which I attended for the full month of August 1995 at Gerry Spence’s ranch in western Wyoming — was when Gerry  re-enacted being scolded by the judge on his way to obtaining a jury acquittal in the prosecution of the former Philippines’ first lady’s financial fraud prosecution. Whether or not the judge had any good reason to berate Gerry for asserting not having seen certain government documents that apparently were like needles in a haystack of discovery data dumps, Gerry stuck to his guns to provide his client the best possible defense he could. The jury acquitted his client. Gerry at once has a big ego, a warm heart, and realness as real as it comes. Among the most vital lessons at the Trial Lawyers College was to find and know our true selves; be full real, warts and all; and find and unleash our personal magic and power, and the positives to be found in most any of even our most difficult criminal defense cases.

Consider the source of nastiness in the courtroom before blaming it on your Virginia criminal defense lawyer

Beyond intimidating judges, most prosecutors and police officers would love nothing more than for a client to lose confidence in his or her Virginia criminal defense lawyer. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I remind some of my clients that of course prosecutors don’t want a united front from the criminal defense lawyer and the accused, which simply makes their jobs harder and the defendant’s chances of victory all the stronger.Also, even the most tyrranical sounding judge was once a helpless baby in diapers, and still to this day has his or her own fears and feelings of inadequcy.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz relentlessly pursues your best defense against Virginia DUI, misdemeanor and felony prosecutions. Find out yourself how Jon Katz will do that for you, through your free in-person confidential consultation about your court-pending case, by calling 703-383-1100.