June 2010

On Norm Pattis and “The Happysphere”

June 26, 2010 Criminal Law Bloggers

Norm Pattis was in town this weekend, and Mirriam Seddiq and I joined him last night for dinner at Oyamel restaurant.  Seddiq’s brother works as the head bartender there, and he made sure we were treated like royalty. Pattis and Seddiq were in the bar area waiting for our table when I arrived.  Pattis commented [...]

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The Potential Client From Hell

June 25, 2010 Humor

There is a male voice on the other end when I answer the phone.  “I’m looking for a lawyer,” he says. He sounds pleasant. “Fine,” I say.  “How can I help you?” “First of all,” he says.  “I’d like to know about your experience as a lawyer.  I see from your website that you used [...]

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Images From Abu Ghraib

June 25, 2010 Current Events

A couple of years ago, my wife Susan Burke delivered the keynote address at the annual meeting of the Society for Photographic Education in Denver. Susan talked about the power of photographic imagery to shape and change our world views.  Beginning with photographs from the Vietnam War (the little girl running naked from the napalm, [...]

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On the Tyranny of Court Personnel

June 24, 2010 Criminal Procedure

Although Philadelphia is famous for the corruption within its government and police force, my wife and I were still taken aback to encounter it in person upon moving to the city in 2002.  I, for example, was surprised by the pervasive cronyism and nepotism I encountered within the city’s court system, something the people there [...]

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What This Criminal Defense Lawyer Looks For In A Client

June 22, 2010 Law Practice

JW, one of my favorite readers/commenters, has proposed a blog topic.  He says he has read a lot about what a client should look for when hiring a criminal defense lawyer. Now that JW himself is in the market for a lawyer, he would like to know what a lawyer considers when deciding whether or [...]

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Arraignment in D.C. Superior Court

June 22, 2010 Criminal Procedure

The arraignment is usually the first court appearance for a criminal defendant in Washington, D.C. and, as such, tends to cause particular anxiety for clients. Do I need a lawyer at the arraignment? What do I say? Should I plead guilty or not guilty? Although the court itself will assure that you don’t do anything [...]

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The Greatest DWI Video Of All Time

June 21, 2010 DUI and Driving Offenses

I had seen this video at a DWI/DUI training course in D.C. but was never able to find it again.  Many thanks to DC/Maryland criminal defense attorney Michael Bruckheim for letting me know where I could find it. I will link to Michael as soon as he gets his website up.

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For Father’s Day

June 20, 2010 Miscellaneous

As regular readers of this blog know, I look for any excuse to post a poem by my father. Here is one he wrote for his own father, a poem that has influenced everything I have ever written.  I reprint it now with his permission. Your desk, by the window Sitting at your desk, I [...]

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Ode to Colin Samuels’ Mother

June 19, 2010 Criminal Law Bloggers

Back in the days when I tried to write fiction, my greatest aspiration was to get a short story into the Best American or O’Henry anthologies of best short stories for the year. Alas, I was never successful. No nominations. No honorable mentions.  Not once. Not even close. Given my need for outside validation, I [...]

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On Working A Case With A Colleague

June 17, 2010 Law Practice

One of the things I liked best about being a public defender was the camaraderie with other defenders. Whenever you had a question, you could run to the office next door. If the question came up while you were in court, there was always a defender standing out in the hallway or in the courtroom [...]

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