Real Talk

5 Expert Tips For Talking To The Police, and A Bonus 6th That Will Blow Your Mind!

May 30, 2017 by admin

The police want to talk to you. Maybe they’ve called you. Maybe they’ve stopped by your house. Maybe they’ve even pulled you over and arrested you for DUI. What are you going to do? Sounds like a tricky situation? Not if you take this splendid advice. Utilize these pro tips and never worry again. Tip … Read More

Screw you, I’ll vote how I want to (AKA Charles Blow can stick his thoughts where the sun don’t shine).

September 22, 2016 by admin

I’m not comfortable with the idea of Donald Trump as president. On the other hand, I’m not comfortable with the idea of Hillary Clinton as president, either.

I tend to have a different set of priorities than those in the national spotlight. I’m primarily concerned with issues like putting teeth into the confrontation clause, figuring out how the ancient language of “unreasonable searches” applies in a world not imagined by those who invented the phrase, and wondering if I’m the only one who actually sees the term “excessive bail shall not be required…” to kick off the Eighth amendment. You know, issues of freedom.

That’s not to say that matters of national debate don’t concern me. They just tend to fall lower on the list of pressing things. Because of that, I tend to vote 3rd party. It’s been that way since I cast my first vote (for Ross Perot, duh) in 1992.

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Because I Love It.

March 28, 2016 by admin

“How do you sleep at night putting in toilets for pedophiles?”

-Things nobody ever says to plumbers.

“I could never do what you do… you help drunk drivers save money on taxes so they can buy more beer.”

-Something accountants never hear.

“How does it feel knowing you sell hardware to criminals?”

-Questions the guy at Home Depot doesn’t have to answer at social gatherings.

I’m Down But Not Out.

November 23, 2015 by admin

Hitting “Publish” Isn’t Easy.

I’ve written a lot of posts that haven’t been published. That’s a problem. It’s a problem of being too reserved, too cautious, or concerned about what I’ve written to offer it up for public consumption.

Early this year- in January- I wrote a post called “10 years.” It spoke to my decade of private criminal defense work since leaving the Office of the Public Defender. I wrote about how much I loved this job, how fun it’s been, and how lucky I’ve been to have an extremely helpful group of talented colleagues.

More importantly, I talked about the stark and grave realization of how grating this profession can be. How depressing it is knowing that, as much as you can fight for that guy standing next to you in front of the judge, the system isn’t designed for change even if the system has it wrong. It will be wrong over and over and over and over

Setting Every Damn Case For Trial: The beginning of the end of my “reign of pain” as a public defender.

March 25, 2015 by admin

When I worked for the public defender’s office I was a complete pain in the ass. Or, at least I like to think I was. Considering a judge once told me I was “the only roadblock to an otherwise smooth running courtroom,” I probably was.

I pulled out every trick people would teach me. When I ran out of those, I’d invent some of my own and see how they worked. If they rocked, I’d use them until they wouldn’t. If they didn’t, I’d think up something else.

I don’t regret that. Not even a little bit.

Hitting “Publish” Isn’t Easy.

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