» Entries tagged with "criminal defense"

Still Writing…

My steady stream of posts goes on at Mimesis Law. Here are links: Whatever you do, don’t name the misbehaving prosecutor or let the defendant get away with anything (because he’s totally guilty anyway). This is how false confessions happen. Being named Bradley Scott Johnson is apparently a crime punishable by four days in jail. They pretty much throw darts to decide who gets charged and who gets the prosecutors to play tiny little violins in support of their innocence. Throw all the books you want at drug offenders, it ain’t gonna make a damn difference. Cops get lucky, people pretend we didn’t all know that was what was gonna happen. Sometimes getting arrested is worth it. A statutory rape goes from shitty to less shitty. And here’s my last one (until tomorrow): Quit trying to justify your gawking. BONUS: I got … Read entire article »

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I’ve Been Writing

It might seem a bit dead around here, but I’ve actually been blogging more than ever since the beginning of August. It’s all over at Mimesis Law, however. Here are tl;dr synopses of the posts, with links: Sometimes judges do a good job with rulings involving technology. Black people matter more than lions. Courts couldn’t care less about the horrific life of a defendant. Screwing people more gently isn’t really such a big deal. The Black Lives Matter agenda could do a better job of putting the power in the hands of victims and their families. There’s no such thing as too crazy for “justice.” Kim Davis is committed, but she’s hardly worthy of praise. Sometimes, stopping government overreaching trumps prosecuting perjury and convicting the guilty. Close to home is easier than fair. Not every senseless murder supports your position. For … Read entire article »

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Why It Sometimes Sucks (And Then Doesn’t…Sorta)

It’s often hard to explain the little reasons it can sometimes suck being a defense attorney, so I figured I’d strike while the iron is hot and write about something that happened recently. It should highlight one tiny little reason why the job can suck. It should also highlight why the job doesn’t just suck all the time, but is more of a roller coaster of suck and not-suck. A couple of weeks ago, I had a settlement conference in a case. The goal was to see if the parties could reach an agreement. The prosecutor and judge were both great to deal with, and my client was very reasonable. He was facing a harsh mandatory minimum prison sentence and understood by the end that he … Read entire article »

Filed under: Practice in General

A Persuasive Offer To Contribute

Last Monday afternoon, an intriguing email from a charming fellow named Ryan appeared in my inbox: Respected Sir, I would like to inform you that i am interested in contributing “Law” related blog content on your blog. Kindly let me know how should i proceed ahead for contribution. Waiting for your response. Ryan, who identified himself as a publisher as well as a writer, must be a faithful reader too. How else could he know my blog features “Law” related content? He is also quite proactive. After i neglected to respond to him for over a day, he emailed me again during the wee hours of the morning last Wednesday: Hello Sir, Hope you are doing well. I guess you must be busy. Just wanted to know if you got a chance to go … Read entire article »

Filed under: Marketing

Who’s The Fairest of Them All?

What makes a blog worth reading? What makes a blog worthy of an award? The ABA apparently knows, and last year I was fortunate to find myself in great company after being selected for the ABA Journal Blawg 100. From what I recall, I got the least votes in my category. Darn. This year, I was not surprised when I failed to make the cut. Oh well. Regardless, I was pleased to see some great criminal justice blogs in the line-up. Mark Bennett’s Defending People has had a serious impact on my approach to the practice of law. His writing, his approach to issues, and his posts about jury selection in particular have made me a better lawyer for having stumbled upon his … Read entire article »

Filed under: Marketing

Getting Internet “Clients”

I’m a big deal. I have a blog. The ABA even gave me a little badgy thingy despite the fact I placed last. Regardless, I’m a badass. Check out what my enduring internet fame has given me: Is my plea going to get better? Do prosecutors quit giving offers after it’s set for trial? And this: Can I possess a firearm? Or have a look at this one: The police are at my door. I’m in New Jersey. What do I do? Need free advice ASAP. No money, LOL. I’m making these up, of course, but the real ones are worse. Trust me. Sadly, these types of messages are the fruits of my labors. I’m no Eric Mayer of Unwashed Advocate fame (have a listen here), … Read entire article »

Filed under: Marketing, Practice in General

"This Is Real"

I recently left the country to attend my sister’s wedding. That’s why I didn’t put up a post last week. It was actually the longest I’ve gone without putting in a full day of work since Adrian and I started the firm, and yesterday was my first full day back. Yesterday morning, I had what I consider to be an extremely important hearing. Although I wasn’t away from work for a particularly long time, it was long enough to make some of the feelings I get before big hearings or trials seem slightly foreign. The hour-long commute to court gave me plenty of time to think about what I was feeling. The thrill of going into court and making an argument you believe in on behalf of a … Read entire article »

Filed under: Practice in General

Don't Do It

I couldn’t agree with this more. I’ve had a fair amount of contact with law students at ASU through moot court judging, hiring clerks and research assistants, and just being an alumnus. I’ve met a lot of bright, articulate law students. I haven’t met a lot of impassioned law students who want to be advocates and truly believe in what they do. Most of the law students I meet, like most of my fellow law students when I was in law school, don’t know what they want to do. They just want a job, and any job will do. Maybe that works if you want to write wills or review contracts, but in criminal defense, that won’t cut it. It’s a calling. It’s stressful, … Read entire article »

Filed under: Clients, Law School, Practice in General

When to Go Solo

Posts here and here bring up interesting points about going straight into solo practice out of law school. While good reading, for the most part, I don’t agree with them. Adrian and I went into solo (or is it duet?) practice straight out of law school. Throughout law school, I intended to do criminal defense and nothing else. I wanted to fight the big, bad government. My goal, which I made clear to everyone around me, was to immediately hang out a shingle upon receipt of my bar number. I set aside time to watch court. I did a public defender clinic, attended public defender new hire training, spoke with a number of judges, and met as many good criminal lawyers as I could. … Read entire article »

Filed under: Law School, Practice in General, Solo Practice

Brown & Little, P.L.C. Blog!

We’ve decided to start a blog where we’ll discuss various issues related to the practice of criminal law in Arizona. It seems like we run into some kind of interesting issue almost every day, and it’s our goal to discuss those issues here. Hopefully we’ll each be able to post frequently, so keep checking back! … Read entire article »

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