Any criminal defense attorneys?

[Shakes]

Just curious if there are any criminal defense attorneys on the board. If so, what have your experiences been like in general? Is the business good?

Does anybody on the board know somebody who is a criminal defense attorney? What have they said about their experiences?

[ClevelandWasp]

I know a few lawyers who do some criminal defense here and there, but no one who does it as their main thing. You would need to start in the prosecutor's office or be a public defender to get experience, so you would be poor your first few years, a problem for some people. Getting paid is also a real concern, once your client goes to prison it's too late unless you plan on garnishing his license plate/prison laundry pay.

[ClevelandWasp]

Did anyone else click on this hoping to read about some heinous crime committed by OP?

[Wynton]

I'm a criminal defense attorney. My business is good. Life is good.

If you want more specific answer, ask more specific questions.

[Wynton]

[ QUOTE ]
Getting paid is also a real concern, once your client goes to prison it's too late unless you plan on garnishing his license plate/prison laundry pay.

[/ QUOTE ]

Getting paid is a major hassle, but it's not too late when the client goes to prison. Most often, I get paid by the family.

[Shakes]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a criminal defense attorney. My business is good. Life is good.

If you want more specific answer, ask more specific questions.

[/ QUOTE ]

How hard do you have to work at getting paid?

How significant are appointed cases in terms of your overall income?

What is the highest profile case you have worked on in terms of media exposure?

[Wynton]

[ QUOTE ]
How hard do you have to work at getting paid?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure how to describe this simply. I try to get paid as much of the fee up front as possible. It's not really a lot of "work" in that sense, but just a matter of trying to be as careful as possible.

[ QUOTE ]
How significant are appointed cases in terms of your overall income?

[/ QUOTE ]

Very significant. But it's hard to quantify. My practice is pretty typical. I accept many federal assigned case, but no state assigned work (because of the pay differential and other reasons). Some years, I may accept very little assigned work; other years it is a staple. The practice is extremely cyclical, though.

[ QUOTE ]
What is the highest profile case you have worked on in terms of media exposure?

[/ QUOTE ]

I represented Lemrick Nelson, who was convicted on civil rights charges, arising out of the Crown Heights riots in NYC. This occurred several years ago and received national attention. I handled the appeal and was involved in a retrial.

[miajag]

Wynton, did you do prosecutorial or public defender work before you entered private practice?

[Wynton]

[ QUOTE ]
Wynton, did you do prosecutorial or public defender work before you entered private practice?

[/ QUOTE ]

I did neither, which is pretty unusual. I clerked for an appellate judge for several years before going into private practice. Since then, most of my practice has consisted of criminal appeals, but in recent years, I've been getting involved in trials as well. In a way, this is almost like a change of career. And I now have some regrets about not starting at a prosecutor's office or at legal aid, just for the trial experience.

[sethypooh21]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm a criminal defense attorney. My business is good. Life is good.

If you want more specific answer, ask more specific questions.

[/ QUOTE ]

How hard do you have to work at getting paid?

[/ QUOTE ]

FWIW, this is pretty much the hardest part of any private attorney's job, civil or criminal. I do civil defense, and getting the bill payed (especially getting the full bill payed) is a rather involved process, though it's slightly easier since I practice in a state that awards partial attorney fees as part of a judgment.