Comments for Brown & Little, P.L.C. http://brownandlittlelaw.com Arizona Criminal Defense Attorneys Mon, 21 May 2012 13:47:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on An Unfortunate Correlation by Guest http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/19/an-unfortunate-correlation/#comment-8401 Guest Mon, 21 May 2012 13:47:48 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2796#comment-8401 You get in trouble if you give out too may too lenient offers; especially if one of the defendants gets in trouble again, it hits the newspapers, and embarrasses the elected District Attorney in an election your. So smart prosecutors do a triage of cases that may get them in trouble from those that won't. Being "tough" on small cases is easy because it makes you blind plea to the judge and then the prosecutor can't get in trouble. (the judge did it). On big felonies, its a problem because a sentencing hearing wastes the prosecutor's time and effort. In my jurisdiction, we have pre-trail conferences where both sides have an informal meeting with the judge and the judge says what he will do (and absorbs the heat). The prosecutor can then jump and scream for the court reporter while the judge executes they agreement that everyone agreed to in chambers. Of course some prosecutors are f****d in the head and actually believe this law and order bullshit. You get in trouble if you give out too may too lenient offers; especially if one of the defendants gets in trouble again, it hits the newspapers, and embarrasses the elected District Attorney in an election your.

So smart prosecutors do a triage of cases that may get them in trouble from those that won’t. Being “tough” on small cases is easy because it makes you blind plea to the judge and then the prosecutor can’t get in trouble. (the judge did it). On big felonies, its a problem because a sentencing hearing wastes the prosecutor’s time and effort. In my jurisdiction, we have pre-trail conferences where both sides have an informal meeting with the judge and the judge says what he will do (and absorbs the heat). The prosecutor can then jump and scream for the court reporter while the judge executes they agreement that everyone agreed to in chambers.

Of course some prosecutors are f****d in the head and actually believe this law and order bullshit.

]]> Comment on Dumb Luck by Matt Brown http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/20/dumb-luck/#comment-8400 Matt Brown Sun, 20 May 2012 23:05:23 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2819#comment-8400 We thought we were really cutting edge when we used free internet listings starting out, and we probably told a lot of other people to do it. Few things change perspective as effectively as time. We thought we were really cutting edge when we used free internet listings starting out, and we probably told a lot of other people to do it. Few things change perspective as effectively as time.

]]> Comment on An Unfortunate Correlation by Robert Hewes http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/19/an-unfortunate-correlation/#comment-8399 Robert Hewes Sun, 20 May 2012 20:30:07 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2796#comment-8399 That makes sense, but it really sucks. Thanks for the reply. That makes sense, but it really sucks. Thanks for the reply.

]]> Comment on Dumb Luck by Jordan Rushie http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/20/dumb-luck/#comment-8398 Jordan Rushie Sun, 20 May 2012 18:03:53 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2819#comment-8398 Interesting post. I admit that when I first started practicing law, I was told to troll Craigslist and respond to potential clients. I did this, and it resulted in two good clients for me. That out of the way, I will respond to a story with a story. I was friends with a young, hotshot criminal defense lawyer. Pretty good at what he does, and he was building his practice from the ground up. At one point, he landed a huge, high profile case involving a wealthy defendant. I'm told it was a referral. At some point, this lawyer invested in buying a traffic ticket docket search. So if you received a traffic ticket in the county where he practiced, you would get a letter from him immediately offering to help you with it. We discussed this, and he was like "Oh, it's easy money! Just get like 15 of them and you've made $3000 in a day!" As luck would have it, his big client got a traffic ticket. The client got a form letter in the mail from his own lawyer. The big client was extremely pissed off that he had hired a "desperate loser" who would stoop to sending form letters to defend traffic tickets. The big client fired his lawyer and went with someone "more reputable." After hearing that story, I decided I would rather not be the guy who defends traffic tickets for a living. Interesting post. I admit that when I first started practicing law, I was told to troll Craigslist and respond to potential clients. I did this, and it resulted in two good clients for me.

That out of the way, I will respond to a story with a story. I was friends with a young, hotshot criminal defense lawyer. Pretty good at what he does, and he was building his practice from the ground up. At one point, he landed a huge, high profile case involving a wealthy defendant. I’m told it was a referral.

At some point, this lawyer invested in buying a traffic ticket docket search. So if you received a traffic ticket in the county where he practiced, you would get a letter from him immediately offering to help you with it. We discussed this, and he was like “Oh, it’s easy money! Just get like 15 of them and you’ve made $3000 in a day!”

As luck would have it, his big client got a traffic ticket. The client got a form letter in the mail from his own lawyer. The big client was extremely pissed off that he had hired a “desperate loser” who would stoop to sending form letters to defend traffic tickets.

The big client fired his lawyer and went with someone “more reputable.”

After hearing that story, I decided I would rather not be the guy who defends traffic tickets for a living.

]]> Comment on An Unfortunate Correlation by Matt Brown http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/19/an-unfortunate-correlation/#comment-8397 Matt Brown Sat, 19 May 2012 17:31:19 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2796#comment-8397 For some, it's definitely self-righteousness, but for most of them I think it's just the culture. They believe everyone needs to be punished and pay no attention to the consequences of their decisions (i.e. prison overcrowding) because the general public is willing to give them a blank check. It's easier to be "tough" than it is to be knowledgeable, prepared, and fair. I can't say I've ever heard a prosecutor praise a colleague for being caring. For some, it’s definitely self-righteousness, but for most of them I think it’s just the culture. They believe everyone needs to be punished and pay no attention to the consequences of their decisions (i.e. prison overcrowding) because the general public is willing to give them a blank check. It’s easier to be “tough” than it is to be knowledgeable, prepared, and fair. I can’t say I’ve ever heard a prosecutor praise a colleague for being caring.

]]> Comment on An Unfortunate Correlation by Robert Hewes http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/19/an-unfortunate-correlation/#comment-8396 Robert Hewes Sat, 19 May 2012 17:12:05 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2796#comment-8396 What motivates prosecutors to seek longer sentences? Are they rewarded somehow if the put people away for longer? Or is it some sort of self-righteousness? Or something else? And are prosecutors encouraged at all to think about prison overcrowding? What motivates prosecutors to seek longer sentences? Are they rewarded somehow if the put people away for longer? Or is it some sort of self-righteousness? Or something else?

And are prosecutors encouraged at all to think about prison overcrowding?

]]> Comment on It Goes Both Ways by Robert Hewes http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/12/it-goes-both-ways/#comment-8394 Robert Hewes Wed, 16 May 2012 20:47:29 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2780#comment-8394 So the only benefit she offered in the plea was that he wouldn't have to pay your fee? What a feculent c-word. Tell her to die of ass cancer. So the only benefit she offered in the plea was that he wouldn’t have to pay your fee? What a feculent c-word. Tell her to die of ass cancer.

]]> Comment on Abusing Science by Robert Hewes http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/03/abusing-science/#comment-8393 Robert Hewes Wed, 16 May 2012 20:42:57 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2768#comment-8393 DUI software is the least of their issues, of course. Where's the peer-reviewed science showing that fingerprints (and, more saliently, fingerprint analysts) are reliable? Let alone the horrors of forensic dentistry and the like. It's almost enough to make me think that the justice system might not be 100% just! Oh, and thanks for using that math-styled Captcha. Is it me or are the letter-recognition Captchas getting to be almost impossible to decode? DUI software is the least of their issues, of course. Where’s the peer-reviewed science showing that fingerprints (and, more saliently, fingerprint analysts) are reliable? Let alone the horrors of forensic dentistry and the like. It’s almost enough to make me think that the justice system might not be 100% just!

Oh, and thanks for using that math-styled Captcha. Is it me or are the letter-recognition Captchas getting to be almost impossible to decode?

]]> Comment on Justice v. Efficiency by CLH http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/01/justice-v-efficiency/#comment-8390 CLH Sun, 13 May 2012 03:40:07 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2739#comment-8390 To SHG- From the standpoint of a first year law student, who can barely type a single sentence without consulting older and wiser heads about how insipid and stupid and naive I sound, this blog did the opposite for me. It's certainly depressing, but the target audience of this blog (I hope?) kind of knows how the system is rigged. Hearing defense counsel's woes serves as a stark warning to anyone entering the field, which (naively) I hope leads to only those most motivated to be zealous advocates of their clients entering the field.To Matt Brown- While I won't be dropping out of law school, or giving up on the idea of working as a public defender, I probably won't be doing it in Arizona. Ever. Texas is bad enough, but at least there seems to be a groundswelling of acknowledgement and support for a fairer justice system. Yikes, Phoenix mus be the equivalent of working in the Ninth Circle as an appellant attorney, with Justice Clarence Thomas as the only source of relief. To SHG- From the standpoint of a first year law student, who can barely type a single sentence without consulting older and wiser heads about how insipid and stupid and naive I sound, this blog did the opposite for me. It’s certainly depressing, but the target audience of this blog (I hope?) kind of knows how the system is rigged. Hearing defense counsel’s woes serves as a stark warning to anyone entering the field, which (naively) I hope leads to only those most motivated to be zealous advocates of their clients entering the field.To Matt Brown- While I won’t be dropping out of law school, or giving up on the idea of working as a public defender, I probably won’t be doing it in Arizona. Ever. Texas is bad enough, but at least there seems to be a groundswelling of acknowledgement and support for a fairer justice system. Yikes, Phoenix mus be the equivalent of working in the Ninth Circle as an appellant attorney, with Justice Clarence Thomas as the only source of relief.

]]> Comment on It Goes Both Ways by CLH http://brownandlittlelaw.com/2012/05/12/it-goes-both-ways/#comment-8389 CLH Sun, 13 May 2012 03:15:18 +0000 http://brownandlittlelaw.com/?p=2780#comment-8389 I'm a long time lurker and reader of just about every blawg out there, and this is unfortunatley the first time I've come across yours. Don't worry, I'll religiously read every post from now on. I read this post and an irrepressible "Hooyah!" was the result. (Sorry, former squid turned law student.) I chuckle with glee at the thought of the poor, tireless, overworked DA having to work just that bit harder. It makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside. I’m a long time lurker and reader of just about every blawg out there, and this is unfortunatley the first time I’ve come across yours. Don’t worry, I’ll religiously read every post from now on. I read this post and an irrepressible “Hooyah!” was the result. (Sorry, former squid turned law student.) I chuckle with glee at the thought of the poor, tireless, overworked DA having to work just that bit harder. It makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside.

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