Blog Posts


Looking Forward To A Book Festival

My wife is a saint, and not just because she lives with me. When a wild hair sprouts and I just have to heed some distant drummer, she is gracious. Hence, she's given me leave to return to Wales late this spring for the annual Hay-on-Wye festival. Now that I think of it, maybe she is not a saint:...

A Modest Proposal For Connecticut's Crime Lab

It would not take much to assure that there were fair criminal trials supported by a truly neutral and independent crime laboratory in Connecticut. But I suspect most folks like the way things are and see little need for change. But none of those folks were responsible for producing the National...

He'll Keep His Home And Live In It, Too. Even so ...

Entering a plea somehow seems like the antithesis of being a lawyer, yet knowing when to a strike a deal is important. A client's life and welfare depends on the advice you give. Even so, at the end of the day, a plea feels like betrayal. So this evening I wallow.
I've been picking a jury in a...

The Dawn of E-Trials?

If you can, find a copy of the letters to the editor in Monday's New York Times. Six letters were published under a banner headline that reads: "When Jurors Seek Evidence Online." The viewpoints expressed there have had me ruminating for days.
The letters were in response to a front-page story...

Sure, I Represent Cops, So What?

"What's the matter with you?" The speaker is a good friend and a well-known member of the criminal defense bar. "Why are you representing people like that?"
He was calling into question my representation of a former police officer. The cop was fired from his police force after being videotaped...

The Road Hill Murder Stunningly Revisited

The country manor is a set piece of Victorian English literature. On the surface, all is peaceful and orderly. But passion stirs beneath the calm. Sometimes deadly passion.
On the night of June 29, 1860, a three year old boy went missing. His nursemaid awoke to find an empty bed. The child was...

I Didn't Go To Princeton And I Never Heard Of This

I think I will put this right next to my Harvard toaster and my Oxford ironing board.
Give me a break, people.
Dear Norman,
It is my pleasure to inform you that you are being considered for inclusion into the 2009-2010 Princeton Premier Business Leaders and Professionals Honors Edition...

The Good Samaritan

The story of the Good Samaritan is perhaps the best know of all parables attributed to Jesus. It is found in Luke 10:30-37.
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half...

AIG Rage Misdirected

I am as disgusted as the next person about the bonuses to AIG executives. Rewarding folks for failure is ridiculous. Making me pay for it feels like a crime. But I am even more concerned about the consequences of rage run amok. The AIG furor has the feel of an American Kristillnacht. Let's just all...

Twitter, Google, Chatter: Perhaps Sequestration Is In Order

I start jury selection in a criminal case next week and I am worried. My client is a former New Haven homicide detective accused of stealing money intended for confidential informants in ongoing murder investigations. We are prepared to defend against those allegations. What I worry about is...

© Norm Pattis is represented by Elite Lawyer Management, managing agents for Exceptional American Lawyers
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