Blog Posts

I've been luckier than I deserve in my legal career to attract the mentorship of some great lawyers. John R. Williams on New Haven broke me in, teaching me all he knew about civil rights litigation and criminal defense. Gerry Spence shared generously of his insight into stories and the psyche. And...

I am not yet prepared to say I want to live in Missouri, but I sure might prefer practicing law there. That's because in Missouri, judges now are considering the cost of incarcerating a defendant. This morning's New York Times reports that judges now consult a statewide database to estimate the...

I had dinner tonight with a client and his daughter. The client faces great trouble. His daughter loves him with a heart bursting with pride. The pain of allegations without foundation weighs heavily on the client. Finding words to encourage him is hard. Tonight his daughter surprised us both by...

I will be switching to a new service for publication of this blog in the next couple of days. Among the questions on my mind as I make ready for the switch is whether the comments section to the blog serves any real purpose.
I am aware of the "engage" theory of blogging: encourage comments,...

Do real lawyers engage in all the tomfoolery associated with social media? The answer is yes. I am a real lawyer, and I blog and I Tweet. I also think that there should be a broader public understanding about what trial lawyers do. Hence, I write about my work. No crime there, I hope.
I am a...

I passed through New Haven mid-day yesterday after a quick pre-trial in New London in a child sex case. My hope was to poke my head in on the trial of State v. Hayes to see whether the atmosphere in the room was as surreal as press accounts suggested.
It was just after noon, and there were...

If you have heard enough about the show-trial taking place in New Haven regarding the Cheshire home invasion, you might be tempted to skip this column. But I ask you to hang in for a paragraph or two. I’d like to talk about the administration of justice in Connecticut courtrooms. This trial,...

I did not need to attend the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles to get a sense of the proceeding's carnival-like atmosphere. The press conveyed what went on all too well. It soon became apparent for all the world to see that the trial judge presiding over that case, Lance Ito, was enjoying the show...

If you want to short the circuits of an FBI agent, agree to talk to him, but only on the condition that you are permitted to tape record, or, even better yet, video record, your converation. Odds are, the agents will flush a deep red, stammer something about that not being possible, and then...

At the rate things are going in the case of State v. Hayes, the case could end as early as next week. But the ending will be a mistrial, not a verdict. That's because in two short days of evidence, four jurors have already decided to bow out of service. It takes twelve men and women to make a...