Clik here to view.
My Corner Office With a Window
Here is my investigator Wayne Marshall standing in my “corner office with a window” in the D.C. Superior Court cafeteria. I can’t believe the receptionist let him through without an appointment. We...
View ArticleClik here to view.
D.C. Welcomes NLADA’s Mark Houldin
Mark Houldin has accepted a job with the National Legal Aid and Defender Association(NLADA). NLADA is the nation’s oldest and largest non-profit association “devoted to excellence in the delivery of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Guilty Plea at D.C. Superior Court
Guest Post by Emma Brush A visit to Arlington was the occasion for this undeserved opportunity of mine to post. Originally, my Uncle Jamie had a jury trial scheduled. Knowing that I was considering...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Firing Andrew Crespo
I am watching what has to be the best cross-examination at a probable cause hearing I have ever seen. It is a new attorney from the Public Defender Service (PDS), someone I have never seen before, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On “Constructive Venting” And Wayne My Investigator
Seth Godin writes about a friend of his, a middle school teacher, who avoided the teacher’s lounge because “he couldn’t bear the badmouthing of students, the whining and the blaming”: Just about every...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kimberley Knowles Sworn in as D.C. Superior Court Judge
Photo by Zoe Tillman Judge Kimberley Knowles was sworn in as a D.C. Superior Court Associate Judge on Friday. Confirmed by the Senate on August 2, Judge Knowles had previously served as a magistrate...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why I Prefer D.C.
Here are 15 reasons I prefer D.C. Superior Court to the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia: There is a cafeteria. There is a lawyer’s lounge. There is a legal library. Women in orange jackets...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mindy Daniels, My Reluctant Mentor
She doesn’t know it yet but Mindy Daniels is going to be my mentor on all things having to do with the D.C. Court of Appeals. One of the first things I do whenever I start out in a new jurisdiction is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Law Students in D.C. Superior Court
Mia Roberts, now at Friedman Schuman It is January, the beginning of the spring semester, and D.C. law students are back in court. There is the Juvenile Justice Clinic and the Prettyman Fellowship...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Judge Epps Now Handling DUI Calendar
I just made my first appearance in front of Judge Diana Epps in Room 116. She took over the DUI calendar for D.C. Superior Court last month after Judge Knowles was sworn in as associate judge. Based...
View ArticleDana Tapper Awarded $20,000 on Ellen DeGeneres Show
Last September I wrote about Dana Tapper, a third-year law student at UVA who interned last summer with the Juvenile Services Program of the D.C. Public Defender Service. Apparently I was not the only...
View ArticleClik here to view.
PDS Launches Criminal Law Blog
The Public Defender Service (PDS) has just begun a blog — the PDS Criminal Law Blog — that reviews recent D.C. Court of Appeals opinions. With Samia Fam, Nancy Glass, Jackie Frankfurt, and a handful...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Policy Shmolicy: Dealing With Junior Prosecutors
Occasionally you have a judge who tells it like it is. I am standing at the bar of the court. My client has successfully completed a diversion program. The clerk calls our case 15 minutes early, before...
View ArticleClik here to view.
With Significant Drop in Crime, D.C. Reduces Size of CJA Panel
The list is finally out. D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert Morin announced last fall that the panel of attorneys who are approved to represent indigent criminal defendants would be reconstituted....
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Equal Justice Under Law”: Why Alec Karakatsanis Is Not Your Typical Smug,...
One of the hazards of public interest work is that it seems to contribute to smugness. I may be underpaid and overworked. But at least I am doing the Lord’s work. And that work is more important...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Watching Amy Phillips
She is assertive without being aggressive. She knows when to push and when to hang back. She is pleasant and well-spoken. She does her homework. She is committed to her clients while keeping a sense of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
James Colt is Superman
I am a fan of D.C. criminal defense attorney James Colt. It is not only his name, which sounds like it was pulled from a Harlequin romance. It is also that he is a pleasant guy and, from what I can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On the Criminal Defense Attorney Who “Knows” all the Prosecutors
“I can get you a good deal because I know all the prosecutors.” This is what one of my competitors says to a potential client. I know this because the client tells me. She wants to know if I can get...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Job Security is Not Always a Good Thing
Sour. Unprofessional. And extraordinarily slow at everything she does. That is my assessment of the woman who sits at the reception desk on the 10th floor of the Office of the Attorney General. She...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Court-Appointed Lawyers Who Are Too Busy Should Lighten Their Case Load
I will not take cases away from the Public Defender Service. How can I take someone’s money when that person is already getting top-notch legal representation for free? I am trying to make a living....
View Article
/pic9814888.png)
/fit-in/580x348/filters:format(webp)/english-betterindia/media/media_files/2026/09/17/balaghat-4-2026-09-17-19-01-31.png)
