Mark Bennett | April 2, 2013
In a recent discussion amongst criminal-defense lawyers about the murder of the Kaufman County District Attorney, and whether we would represent the person charged with the murder (assuming that anyone ever is—my bet is that the murderers will never get caught, though a patsy may be), one of the brethren predicted that whoever took the […]
Mark Bennett | April 2, 2013
There were probably criminal-defense lawyers before me who marketed themselves as never having been prosecutors—who made a virtue, in the minds of potential clients, of a lawyer never having put people in prison. It’s marketing with the truth—helping the public understand that “former prosecutor” does not mean “good defense lawyer.” Recently a potential client and […]
Mark Bennett | March 23, 2013
After reviewing your website, I really thought you were the real deal. I didn’t ask for your opinion earlier Mark. [Link to article about rich guy’s 1990s bankruptcy.] Maybe if my dad had managed his risk more intelligently, I wouldn’t have to steal. I can’t believe you refused to advise me. All I wanted to know is […]
Mark Bennett | March 18, 2013
Unemployed Kid Lawyer writes to small-firm-owning Young Lawyer (obviously not me) after four on a Friday afternoon: I am a recent cum laude graduate of [third-tier law school], and write to express my interest in potentially joining your firm. A colleague of yours, [Some Friend], whom I met at a networking event, recommended that I […]
Mark Bennett | March 11, 2013
I’m documenting this here in case someone else has the same problem. Today I wrote a ten-page response to a government motion, and when I saved it (from MS Word 2011) to PDF format it was over 5 megabytes—too big to be filed via ECF. Poking around The Google, I found a suggestion that I […]
Mark Bennett | March 8, 2013
It’s good enough for Rand Paul: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney quoted from the letter that Holder sent to Paul today. “Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on an American soil?” Holder wrote, per Carney. “The answer is no.” Paul said that was […]
Mark Bennett | March 5, 2013
Letter from Bobby Mims of Tyler, President President-Elect of the Texas Criminal-Defense Lawyers Association, to the sponsor of Texas Senate Bill 91 and his Chief of Staff: Senator Rodney Ellis & Mr. Brandon Dudley: I appreciate the time that you and Sen. Ellis invested in today’s analysis of the SB91. We the members of the Texas […]
Mark Bennett | March 4, 2013
My guy was taking a five-year prison sentence, and had arranged for a few weeks to get his affairs in order. The deal was that if he didn’t show up on the appointed day the judge could consider the full (five-to-life) range of punishment. He showed up late. The judge gave him six years. Me: Judge, is […]
Mark Bennett | March 1, 2013
Rob Kepple giving a pep talk, under the guise of “ethics,” to the Harris County DA’s Office: Now let’s go back to my original analogy because I really want to wrap this up and bring it around, because I really do think that it shows the difference between what we do every day as a […]
Mark Bennett | February 26, 2013
Grits for Breakfast asked, in a comment, “Do you find reciprocal discovery a hindrance in your federal cases? If not, what’s the difference?” Before I answer that, let me say that the federal criminal justice system should in no wise be considered a model for other jurisdictions. Federal court is a plea machine, in which […]
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