Should You Post Bond? Not Always
Attorney-Client Relationship, Blog
|Last week, I closed out an armed robbery case quite successfully. The case was reduced down to robbery, the client was sentenced under Georgia’s First Offender Act (meaning that he has the opportunity to come out of this with no conviction on his record), and after completing a one-year residential program, he is on probation.…
An Update to the Typography Post
Blog, Georgia Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of Georgia, Writing
|This week, I received an email from Don Roch at Bowers & Roch in Canton, Georgia, in response to a post on a CLE talk I gave on typography. He took issue with my claim that, in Georgia appellate courts, you are stuck with Courier New 12 or Times New Roman 14. Don did a…
Trial Objections are no Substitute for an Appellate Strategy
Blog, Preservation of Error
|The Lawyerist wrote an evocative post last week about when and how to object at trial. In it, Andy Mergendahl notes that “Objecting at times other than when absolutely necessary to keep crucial inadmissible evidence out will really hurt you.” He advises, instead, to handle as many objections as possible as motions in limine. What…
Beware the Generic Brand
Attorney-Client Relationship, Blog
|Scott Greenfield, today, looks critically at a lawyer’s website. The lawyer boasts that he started his practice with nothing and now has 500 clients. Mr. Greenfield’s post struck a chord with my thoughts of late. If you have 500 clients, you aren’t giving much time to any one of them or their case. Worse than…
My Controversial Talk on Typography (No Kidding)
Blog, Georgia Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of Georgia, Uncategorized
|If you read this blog regularly, it is no secret that I am a recent convert and evangelist for Matthew Butterick’s Typography for Lawyers. I have a long way to go in my legal writing before I reach a point of mastery, but I am happy to be paying attention. One of the chairs for…
Video Interview: Discussing the Latest in the Trayvon Martin Case with LXBN TV
Blog, News
|Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with Colin O’Keefe of LXBN TV on the latest developments in the Trayvon Martin case. In the short interview I give a brief explanation on the background of the case, touch on Florida’s unique “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law and compare the situation to two past cases that…
SCOTUS Requires Effective Assistance at Plea Bargain Stage: Absurd?
Blog, Opinions and Analysis, Uncategorized
|Today, the Supreme Court released two opinions that define standards for defense lawyers during criminal plea bargains. First, in Lafler v. Cooper, No. 10-209, 566 U.S. ___ (2012), recall that Cooper was charged with assault with intent to murder and possession of a firearm. Cooper rejected a plea bargain after his attorney (wrongly) informed him…
Erroneous Verdict Form = New Trial
Blog, Opinions and Analysis, Supreme Court of Georgia, Uncategorized
|On Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a Fulton man’s convictions would be reversed due to an improperly worded verdict form. Cheddersingh v. State, S11A1929. In 2008, Soniel Cheddersingh was convicted of malice murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of firearm by…
GPDSC’s First Executive Director Weighs In
Attorney-Client Relationship, Blog, News, Opinions and Analysis
|Aly Palmer, a reporter with the Fulton Daily Report, read the exchanges of the last few days and reported on it at the ATLaw Blog. Michael Mears, an Associate Professor at the John Marshall School of Law and the man who was GPDSC’s very first Executive Directer when it was created, wrote a very thoughtful…
My Reply to the Circuit Public Defender
Attorney-Client Relationship, Blog, News, Opinions and Analysis, Uncategorized
|To catch you up to speed, I recently blogged about GPDSC’s recent argument to the Supreme Court of Georgia that public defenders should have the right to represent clients in the same circuit public defender’s office even when there is a conflict in the representation. Mr. Samuel Merritt, a Circuit Public Defender disagreed. I posted…