Is it important that my lawyer has written articles or books in the criminal law field?

I think it’s very important that your lawyer be known and respected by his or her peers. Writing articles, writing books in the area of criminal law, in my view, is essential. I’ll give you an example. We have handled many cases and lectured all over the country on a lot of topics. One topic that I have spent a lot of time on is police canine searches. This is the lead article in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Magazine called The Champion. This is the lead article in the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Magazine. In addition, books, this is the sixth edition of this book called Federal Criminal Rules & Codes Plus. I’m one of the co-authors of this book. It’s known by many as the Bible in federal court. It’s got every single federal code, federal law and the most recent authoritative cases interpreting them. When we go into court and say, “Your Honour, look in my book, on page such and such.” This is the latest law on this case. It establishes credibility, it’s important, especially when prosecutors are using the same book and the judge is using the same book or the judge has read articles that your lawyer has written. It really matters, it establishes the lawyer’s reputation and expertise in an area, and judges tend to rely upon that because judges don’t wanna be reversed. Most judges want to do the right thing and if they know the law commands them to do something, they’ll almost always follow it.

By Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A.