This video is presented by Board Certified Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Cody Cofer. Finding a Criminal Defense Lawyer – Interview Pitfalls 1 My name is Cody Cofer. I am a criminal defense lawyer in Fort Worth, Texas. This is my first video blog post. As I was brainstorming about ideas for this post, I did the Google search for “questions to ask a criminal defense lawyer.” I combed through about 15 or 20 pages, and I saw several questions that kept popping up. Some of these questions really just don’t make any sense. A lot of ’em are really “throwaway questions.” Think about if you have ever been on a job interview. Either the person interviewing or the person being
Read more →Part 2: How to Evaluate Education, Training and Experience When Hiring a Criminal Lawyer Fort Worth Criminal Defense Attorney Guide Oftentimes when we find ourselves in a pinch, we reach out to friends and family for advice and assistance. Unfortunately, unless your uncle is Matlock-reincarnate, you will want to vet each and every potential defense attorney to ensure they have the ability to not only handle your case, but to help you succeed. In other words: your great Aunt Birdie who got you out of a speeding ticket when you were 16 might not be the one to get you out of a hit-and-run charge today. One way to evaluate and compare potential criminal defense attorneys you may wish to
Read more →What Does A Criminal Lawyer Do? Fort Worth Criminal Defense Attorney GuidePart 1: Introduction Become a Proactive Criminal Defense Client When you are faced with criminal charges, picking the right defense attorney can be the most important part of the entire ordeal. Knowing from the beginning what you can expect a qualified criminal defense attorney to do for you can save you time, money, your reputation and possibly your life. If any one of these four things is important to you, then you should dedicate some time to researching, calling and meeting multiple defense attorneys until you have found the right one. This introductory article is the first in a 12-part series to help inform our readers about the capabilities
Read more →The unfortunate fact about the criminal law system is that human errors are oftentimes unavoidable and leave huge flaws within the system. Unclear testimonies, poor eye witness accounts, and a less-than-great attorney are all things that could land an innocent person behind bars. Last week’s story about Dallas local, Michael Phillips, is a great example of these flaws and really shows the importance of criminal defense. When the front page of the newspaper reads “Man Arrested on Murder Charges”, most people automatically jump to the conclusion that the man was in fact the murderer. As a defense attorney, it is my job and passion to look at it differently. The sensitive and lengthy nature of criminal cases makes it possible
Read more →The ordeal began in 1990, when a young woman was raped by a black man, in a white ski mask in her room at a Dallas motel. The victim, a 16 year old white woman, pulled her attacker’s mask up while fighting back. She claimed to have immediately recognized him, having seen him in the area before. Michael Phillips, who lived and worked at the motel, fit the description. Later that week he was arrested after being picked out of a photo line-up. At the point of his arrest, Phillips felt that the cards were stacked against him. On the advice of his public defender, he accepted a guilty plea. Fearing that a jury would believe the victim’s statement over
Read more →Parker County is a quiet place, and if you’re from Dallas or Fort Worth you might only know the county for its annual peach festival. Generally, however, Parker County, which includes the cities of Azle and Weatherford, flies under the radar of local news stations. On June 1, Mark Upchurch helped to change this. On the evening of June 1, Upchurch’s girlfriend came running down the driveway of their residential neighborhood screaming, “Mark set me on fire!” One of the neighbors drove her to the hospital after noticing severe burns covering her legs. After arriving at the hospital in Azle, the woman was then airlifted to Dallas with potentially life threatening injuries. Statements released by the hospital show that the
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Choose the Right Lawyer for Your Criminal Case Guerrilla Guide to Hiring a Lawyer I am often surprised by the questions I’m asked during initial consultations. Some people that come in have clearly done some research and are doing their best to vet me as an attorney. Unfortunately, often people are asking all of the wrong questions. This is likely do to the information people find on the internet related to choosing a lawyer. So, I reviewed the sites that Google chooses as the top results for how to choose the best lawyer. Many of the articles and checklists provided just don’t work for finding the best criminal defense lawyer. Criminal defense is definitely a very different animal from personal
Read more →Cody L. Cofer | Board Certified Criminal Law Texas Board of Legal Specialization We are proud to announce that managing trial attorney, Cody Cofer, is now board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Criminal Law. Cody is the only attorney to obtain certification in Tarrant County in 2013. The certification process started in early 2013 with submission of a comprehensive application documenting the extensive trial experience and appellate experience. The Board also requires references from attorneys and judges that are familiar with the quality of representation Cody provides. In October, Cody sat for the day-long exam designed to evaluate a well developed understanding of criminal law. You can view the Standards for Attorney Certification. The Texas State
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