My new favorite law blog is Judge Richard Kopf’s Hercules and the Umpire. Lately, it’s been the first place I click on my reader. His blog is conversational and offers a view of the Federal Court from the other side of the bench. A recent post of his was particularly spot on. It begins “For […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2013-07-25 15:34:072013-07-25 15:34:07Court Reporters and Digital Audio Recording: Time for a Change?
Andrew Cohen at The Atlantic Monthly has a post up on how Georgia’s legislature created a law that spared the life (so far) of Warren Lee Hill, a man that the State has been trying to kill. It’s a must read if you are trying to teach someone the concept of irony. This past year, […]
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Meeting of the State Bar of Georgia. On Thursday, I was part of a quartet of lawyers who delivered the criminal and civil update of significant cases from the 11th Circuit and Georgia Appellate Courts. Thursday, at the appellate practice luncheon, Georgia family law attorney […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2013-06-26 17:40:522013-06-26 17:40:52Lawyer Recounts First Appearance and Victory Before SCOTUS
I found some good lawyering advice today in, of all places,The Annals of Oncology. There’s an article titled Breaking bad news in oncology: like a walk in the twilight. I’m not trying to be glib in making a comparison. Oncologists are oncologists, and lawyers are lawyers. But what we have in common is that we […]
The Court of Appeals, with a panel made up of Judges Dillard, Ellington, and Phipps, has reversed an order granting a motion to suppress from the State Court of Fayette County. I write about this case because it further develops the law in the area of Miranda and field sobriety testing and because it illustrates […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2013-04-01 08:38:122013-04-01 08:38:12New Field Sobriety/Miranda Case Important at Several Levels
HB 349 has been the subject of much discussion for its sentencing innovations. However, nestled within it are some significant changes to the appellate code. This post will familiarize you with the appellate provisions of HB 349 and provide some tips to get around them. Pre-HB 349 Under the soon to be old law, any […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2013-03-26 06:22:422013-03-26 06:22:42How to Defeat the State’s New Pre-trial Appellate Rights
Ray Lewis’s retirement has made for an interesting time to be a criminal defense lawyer. Many of us who defend people for a living lead two lives. In one, we are in and out of jails, explaining things to clients. We are in the hallway huddled with families after a loved one was led out […]
I recently finished the audio version of Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It’s geared toward fiction writers, but there is much to commend it to lawyerly writing. The best writing advice I have heard in a while was something that a publisher wrote on a slip rejecting one of King’s early […]
Today, I had my first oral argument at the Court of Appeal in perhaps two years. Argument is granted more frequently in civil cases than criminal ones at the Georgia Court of Appeals. So, most of my arguing is at the Supreme Court down the hall. The presiding judge began most of the cases with […]
Over the holidays, I have taken the time to reflect on the direction of my practice and this blog. I’d like to address a few things in the coming year. First of all, the paucity of posts from 2012 is something I would not like to repeat in the coming year. I’ve taken the time […]
00J. Scott Key/wp-content/uploads/SK-Logo-Black-White.pngJ. Scott Key2013-01-02 16:02:472013-01-02 16:02:47Some Musings on Visiting Incarcerated Clients
Court Reporters and Digital Audio Recording: Time for a Change?
/by J. Scott KeyMy new favorite law blog is Judge Richard Kopf’s Hercules and the Umpire. Lately, it’s been the first place I click on my reader. His blog is conversational and offers a view of the Federal Court from the other side of the bench. A recent post of his was particularly spot on. It begins “For […]
New Law Spares Life of Warren Lee Hill
/by J. Scott KeyAndrew Cohen at The Atlantic Monthly has a post up on how Georgia’s legislature created a law that spared the life (so far) of Warren Lee Hill, a man that the State has been trying to kill. It’s a must read if you are trying to teach someone the concept of irony. This past year, […]
Lawyer Recounts First Appearance and Victory Before SCOTUS
/by J. Scott KeyLast week, I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Meeting of the State Bar of Georgia. On Thursday, I was part of a quartet of lawyers who delivered the criminal and civil update of significant cases from the 11th Circuit and Georgia Appellate Courts. Thursday, at the appellate practice luncheon, Georgia family law attorney […]
Breaking Bad News
/by J. Scott KeyI found some good lawyering advice today in, of all places,The Annals of Oncology. There’s an article titled Breaking bad news in oncology: like a walk in the twilight. I’m not trying to be glib in making a comparison. Oncologists are oncologists, and lawyers are lawyers. But what we have in common is that we […]
New Field Sobriety/Miranda Case Important at Several Levels
/by J. Scott KeyThe Court of Appeals, with a panel made up of Judges Dillard, Ellington, and Phipps, has reversed an order granting a motion to suppress from the State Court of Fayette County. I write about this case because it further develops the law in the area of Miranda and field sobriety testing and because it illustrates […]
How to Defeat the State’s New Pre-trial Appellate Rights
/by J. Scott KeyHB 349 has been the subject of much discussion for its sentencing innovations. However, nestled within it are some significant changes to the appellate code. This post will familiarize you with the appellate provisions of HB 349 and provide some tips to get around them. Pre-HB 349 Under the soon to be old law, any […]
Ray Lewis, Facebook, and the Justice System
/by J. Scott KeyRay Lewis’s retirement has made for an interesting time to be a criminal defense lawyer. Many of us who defend people for a living lead two lives. In one, we are in and out of jails, explaining things to clients. We are in the hallway huddled with families after a loved one was led out […]
10% Fewer Words
/by J. Scott KeyI recently finished the audio version of Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It’s geared toward fiction writers, but there is much to commend it to lawyerly writing. The best writing advice I have heard in a while was something that a publisher wrote on a slip rejecting one of King’s early […]
New Procedure at the Court of Appeals
/by J. Scott KeyToday, I had my first oral argument at the Court of Appeal in perhaps two years. Argument is granted more frequently in civil cases than criminal ones at the Georgia Court of Appeals. So, most of my arguing is at the Supreme Court down the hall. The presiding judge began most of the cases with […]
Some Musings on Visiting Incarcerated Clients
/by J. Scott KeyOver the holidays, I have taken the time to reflect on the direction of my practice and this blog. I’d like to address a few things in the coming year. First of all, the paucity of posts from 2012 is something I would not like to repeat in the coming year. I’ve taken the time […]