With a Little Help from My Friends: Second Chair Criminal Defense is Best When Shared Over the years, I have sat as second chair to many great lawyers. Likewise, I have had many great lawyers sit second chair during my criminal trials. Traditionally, the criminal defense bar is made up of solo practitioners or very small firms. This along with the tremendous commitment required for trial has left many attorneys of all skill levels sitting alone at counsel table. Friends don’t let friends go to trial alone. It has been a while now since I “needed” to sit second chair to gain trial experience to qualify for higher level court appointments (i.e. First Degree Felonies) or to obtain experience for
Read more →Criminal Trial Attorney Professionalism Trial Lawyer: Hurt Feelings Taking audience with a jury is usually a last resort in any case. But this work consumes many criminal defense lawyers. Trial lawyers die young. Maybe it’s the stress. Maybe it’s the beating our bodies take, because our dietary and physical routines are derailed. Regardless, our lives are left with scars because of the sacrifice. This is especially true of our relationships with other lawyers. Even the most professional and disciplined mind finds itself emotionally latching onto the trial. This is true for defense lawyers pleading for a client or prosecutors making a stand for victims. Especially in the criminal arena, a good trial lawyer must emotionally connect with the story of
Read more →Part 3: Time and Resources Are Essential When Hiring a Criminal Lawyer Fort Worth Criminal Defense Attorney Guide Under certain circumstances you may qualify to have a court appointed attorney (also known as a public defender) represent you in your criminal case, and we will also cover this option in this section. Continue reading to learn why adequate time and resources are so important to the success of your criminal case. Attorney Caseload Can Directly Impact Your Case Any criminal defense attorney you work with, whether appointed or hired, is obligated to dedicate “necessary” time and resources to representing you in your case. In theory, this means in-person meetings outside of court to discuss your case, walk through the facts,
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 →Cody Cofer | Faculty at Center for American and International Law Center Criminal Defense Trial Skills and Trial Law Program We had an amazing group at this year at CAIL Criminal Defense Trial College. All of the speakers were top notch, and the small groups were filled with promise of an exceptional criminal bar in Texas. The program lasted 5 days. The format included presentations on all phases of trial and small group sessions to refine trial skills. I was honored to serve as faculty this year in the small group setting. Along with other faculty, I observed the trial presentation of lawyers throughout Texas. We provided feedback and direction for their performance. A special thanks goes out to Barry
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 →Darrow’s The Story of My Life I must admit, if I am not reading for work, I read for escape. I do not often read legal themed fiction, and I have only read a few biographies of jurists. I stumbled across Clarence Darrow’s The Story of My Life and something about the old man’s piercing stare on the cover persuaded me to pick it up. At the time he wrote this book, Darrow had been practicing law more than ten times as long as I have. He was almost 50 years older than I am now. I think as an author he was a realist, to an extent, in that he knew the reader was mostly interested in his career
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