Comments on: Advice to a Young Criminal Trial Lawyer

By: Lee Turner

Lee Turner — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:18:51 +0000

Excellent and informative post, especially in regards to making any sort of predictions!

By: Dax Garvin

Dax Garvin — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:41:05 +0000

I read through this and found it to be very accurate. While I’ve been licensed since 2002, I’m a firm believer in learning from others. I’ve done the prosecutor thing, the cop thing, and finally, I found my niche and opened my own office. I would not give it up for anything. I love what I’m doing. I just wish more cases would go to trial… it seems most clients just don’t want to take the risk, and I fully understand and respect that.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:04:04 +0000

Looks like uniformly great advice!

“Avoid making predictions about what the board of pardons and paroles will do.”

Is there EVER a good time to do this? Nobody really knows how this stuff works except for TDCJ and a (very) few specialists. I would avoid speculation about prison time at all costs beyond what percentage of the sentence you’ll have to do before you’re ELIGIBLE for consideration for “discretionary” mandatory and parole. And while I’m at it, get to know what kind of impact a 3g offense/deadly weapon finding can have in the long run. It matters.

By: J. Cole Brooks, Attorney & Counselor At Law

J. Cole Brooks, Attorney & Counselor At Law — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:15:00 +0000

Thanks for the invite to the HCCLA. I will be sending in my application as soon as I can a member of HCCLA as a reference. I have actually seen you quite a few times there in the Harris County Criminal Justice Center. Although, I just now recognized you with your facial hair after observing your videos on your website. Thank you again.

By: Mark Bennett

Mark Bennett — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 23:53:00 +0000

Cole,

Welcome aboard! Join HCCLA.

By: Cole

Cole — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:53:00 +0000

Mark,

Hi, I am a young and recently licensed attorney here in Houston. I decided to hang out my own shingle and focus my practice primarily in criminal defense work. I just wanted to say that your blog has been such a wonderful and reliable resource for myself. Your advice is priceless, especially for young lawyers like myself that have just started out. I would love the opportunity to observe one of your trials. Just wanted to say thank you for all your advice and for the passion that you bring to criminal defense law.

J. Cole Brooks
Attorney & Counselor At Law

By: Mark Bennett

Mark Bennett — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:03:00 +0000

Jesse,

Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you've found my blog helpful.

Go get 'em.

By: Jesse "I'm so going solo" Hernandez

Jesse "I'm so going solo" Hernandez — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:54:00 +0000

Your blogs are great! A couple of us young public defenders have spent the better part of this morning taking turns reading them aloud in my office. I have a pair of kiddie sex assault trials on Monday and Thursday of next week and your blog on Voir Dires has opened my eyes to a couple of mistakes that I’ve been making in my past couple of trials. A blog spot like yours really helps us young defense pups, reading your blogs I’ve found answers to questions that I didn’t even know I should have been asking my more experienced colleagues. Thanks for that.

Jesse Hernandez
Assistant Webb County Public Defender