Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Best Compliment

Yesterday, after court, I had a chance to overhear the judge pay me a great compliment. The judge explained that he thought I was a good attorney because unlike one third of the attorneys that appear before him, I am not just spouting what my client wants me to spout.  He remarked that I often have an insight into the case that requires that he (the judge) actually listen to what I am saying when I speak on my client’s behalf.  I thought it was the best compliment that any judge could pay me, because it confirms that the manner in which I practice law is appreciated.  Unlike some attorneys, I do charge a consultation fee.  I charge the fee, because it takes time to listen.  When clients schedule an appointment, they come with anxiety, fear and their own biased perception of facts and/or events.  If I am actually listening and not trying to promote myself in order to secure my retainer fee, it will take time to discern the problem, and the best possible solutions.  Typically it will take about an hour, but sometimes it takes three or four hours.  I have learned that when it takes three or four hours, it is primarily because all of the previous attorney have failed to spend the 
time necessary to listen and understand the client’s issues. 


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About Me

I hung a shingle in February 2000, because I saw that individuals charged with criminal offenses were being underserved by the attorneys practicing criminal law. Since February 2000, I have represented more than two thousand criminal clients. I only practice criminal law, but I do everything from violations of probation to Supreme Court appeals. There are few attorneys under the age of sixty that have my level of experience. I have tried more than two hundred major felony jury trials. I have tried more than fifty misdemeanor jury trials. In Philadelphia as a prosecutor, I tried more than two thousand bench trials. I have conducted more than three thousand preliminary hearings and bond hearings. Yet, I still have the energy at forty-five to serve my current clients. There is nothing that will occur in a courtroom that I have not experienced before. When you are looking for an attorney, experience is everything.