There is a lot that goes into preparing a criminal case for trial that most people never see. There is the research, the review of the evidence, the development of a defense theory, and the work of finding the right experts who can help you evaluate that evidence. Sometimes that work takes months. Sometimes it… Continue reading The Work of Changing Course
Category: Behind the Case
Memoir-type reflections on navigating court, emotional burdens, and moral tensions
The Anger Behind the Relief: On Profiling, a 0.014 BAC, and a Case That Never Should Have Been Filed
I've carried a lot of cases this year, but the one that made me question how it survived long enough to have a trial date was a 0.014 DWI where my client was rear-ended and somehow ended up the one in handcuffs. I've had this case since January. It is now October. Nine months of… Continue reading The Anger Behind the Relief: On Profiling, a 0.014 BAC, and a Case That Never Should Have Been Filed
Quiet by Nature, Silenced by Force
I love writing. Most weeks, something finds me — a moment from court, a conversation with a client, a question I've been turning over in my head. Writing is usually the one place where my thoughts still feel clear, even when everything else is chaotic. But this week? Nothing came. And I finally realized why.… Continue reading Quiet by Nature, Silenced by Force
Where’s the Lab? On Trial, Mentorship and the Question that Changed Everything
I have five cases set for trial right now. Five. And if you asked me why each one was going to trial, I would give you five different answers. That got me thinking about something people probably don't think about very often: How does a criminal defense lawyer decide that a case should go to… Continue reading Where’s the Lab? On Trial, Mentorship and the Question that Changed Everything
One Line on the Calendar: What Actually Happened When Criminal Court Had Other Ideas
When my week started on Monday, the only thing on my court schedule for Friday was taking misdemeanor appointments. One line on the calendar. Simple. Straightforward. Predictable. But criminal court doesn’t care about your calendar. By the time I finished, I had been in four courts on three different floors, circling the building like a… Continue reading One Line on the Calendar: What Actually Happened When Criminal Court Had Other Ideas
So I Go: The Unglamorous Work of Showing Up
After court and lunch, I walked the few blocks to the jail. It’s close enough that the transition feels abrupt — one minute I’m checking status of discovery, and the next I’m handing over my ID, my bar card, and a little card with my client’s name and location. They give me back the client… Continue reading So I Go: The Unglamorous Work of Showing Up
When Innocence Competes with Survival
She told me from day one she didn’t do it. Not in a dramatic way. Not in a “let me convince you” way. Just a quiet, steady truth she carried every time we talked. And then the seizures started coming harder. More frequent. More violent. More unpredictable. By the time we reached the point where… Continue reading When Innocence Competes with Survival
Nothing About My Work Looks Like That
Law & Order SVU has been my show for years, but let’s be honest — nothing about my actual work looks like that. There’s no dramatic music. No last‑minute confessions. No detectives sprinting down hallways. And absolutely no scene where a defense attorney gets an investigator without filing a motion, drafting a proposed order, and… Continue reading Nothing About My Work Looks Like That
Nobody’s Hands Are Clean: On Advocacy, Accountability, and a Trial I Wish Wasn’t Happening
There are some weeks when being a criminal defense lawyer feels straightforward. This is not one of them. I'm preparing for a trial that I wish wasn't happening—not because I don't believe in trying cases, but because this one sits in the uncomfortable space where multiple truths exist at the same time. My client made… Continue reading Nobody’s Hands Are Clean: On Advocacy, Accountability, and a Trial I Wish Wasn’t Happening
In the Interest of Justice — On a Case That Never Should Have Been Filed and a Mother Who Deserved Better
The last few weeks have been a season of grief and illness — and if I'm honest, the illness isn't fully behind me yet. But you've walked some of this with me, and I have something from the courtroom worth sharing. Some cases stay with you not because they were dramatic, but because they reveal… Continue reading In the Interest of Justice — On a Case That Never Should Have Been Filed and a Mother Who Deserved Better
