The Glass is 1/2 full – The New York Hurrell-Harring Settlement

As criminal defense lawyers, and especially as public defenders, we are often a unique combination of optimism and pessimism.  We become convinced that we will prevail at trial under impossible circumstances – and often we do.  We are certain that the judge […]

Making a Difference Through NAPD

Men and women across the country are banding together, forming the first organization exclusively devoted to promoting effective public defense. Want to make a difference? This is your chance. We now have over 8500 members. The opportunities to contribute to […]

Black, White and Shades of Gray

A frantic call to 911 came in to the Broward Sheriff’s Dispatch center from a citizen in Pompano Beach. The caller explained that he was awakened by a noise outside and looked out his apartment window to see two men […]

7 Reasons to File a Formal Bail Motion

Most of our clients are poor and cannot afford bail even if the bail set by the judge could be posted. So why file a formal motion for a bail hearing? Here’s why: 1.        A bail motion forces the […]

Here’s My Pitch

So here's my pitch:  renew your membership to NAPD!  Why?  Because we survived our first year, and because we're growing into the community we envisioned that we'd be. A year ago, we met in Dayton, all forty of us.  We […]

Happy Birthday, NAPD!

A year ago, in Dayton, OH, a group of interested public defenders from around the country convened to gauge the collective interest, capacity and vision for a new type of national public defender membership association. It’s almost hard to imagine […]

Blind Justice

Justice is not blind but some prosecutors certainly are.  Let me explain. I am a huge fan of the show Sunday Morning on CBS.  This past Sunday, the lead segment was ostensibly about mandatory minimum sentencing.  And while it focused on the extreme […]

Defenders Doing Data

In November, defenders and researchers will gather together in a special series of panels at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology in San Francisco to discuss data and research on indigent defense.  We’ll be covering everything from the latest social […]

6 Reasons to Talk with Your Jurors

I once spoke to an attorney who said “I can’t stand to talk to a juror after they convicted my client.” It’s my belief that talking to jurors, especially after your client is convicted, is mandatory.  Here’s why: Jurors will […]

Back to School Reading: Change of Heart

With the cooling temperatures, comes the time to put aside detective fiction, vampire tales, and vampire detective stories and turn to non-fiction. Picking up and reading even a few pages of  Change of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us about Spreading […]