Blogging Criminally For Over Ten Years



7/27/2004
Dies Mercurii
Wednesday: I spend the morning in traffic court. My first client is charged with driving on a suspended license and contempt of court (for not coming on his first court date). He has gotten his license and when I show that to the judge that charge gets changed to driving without a license (so that his license won’t be suspended by the conviction). The contempt charge is dismissed when Client tells the court he got his court dates mixed up.

The second client has three contempt charges (for not coming to court), one misdemeanor failure to appear (for not coming to court), and two show causes (one for not coming to court and one for not doing community service). All of this comes out of a minor in possession of alcohol charge from 3 years ago for which Client had not done his community service. If he’d come to court when he was first show caused there is almost no doubt that he’d have faced no jail time. The judge who initially sentenced him sentenced him to community service without even putting any suspended time or a suspended fine over his head. So, by dodging court for three years he has exposed himself to the possibility of a year and 30 days in jail. I get the failure to appear dismissed by the judge when I point out that my client had no notice of court for that particular date. Then the judge and I go back and forth for a little while trying to figure out the timeline for all the court dates missed. Finally the judge just decides that everything is from so far in the past that he is going to dismiss all the charges. Then the judge looks at the underlying charge and decides to dismiss it as well. The prosecutor just stands there looking kind of dumbstruck.

So I walk out of the courtroom looking like some sort of superhero because the judge took it upon himself to throw all that stuff out (even I’m not audacious enough to ask a judge to throw out that many easily proven charges). Client is ecstatic and as soon as I shake his hand and send him on his way another guy walks up and hires me on the spot. He’s only got a driving suspended charge and I handle that pretty quickly getting him some suspended jail time and a fine.

At 11 a.m. I have a bond hearing for one of my clients. Client has no place to live, no job, is a drug addict, was picked up for a second felony the day before his prelim on his first felony, has new charges in Richmond as well, and has no money to post any kind of bond. All this comes out in the hearing. Shockingly, the judge did not set a bond for Client.

In the afternoon a client has a sentencing hearing for felony leaving the scene of an accident. I’m a little nervous about this one because client went over the median, bounced off a couple cars, took off in his car, and a little further down the road was found parked drinking alcohol after the accident. Still, nobody was hurt and Client has already spent over six months in jail. The judge sentences him to 3 years with 2 ½ suspended and requires him to complete the Salvation Army rehab program.

Ken Lammers . . . Permalink . . . 0 comments 0 Comments:

Post a Comment


email Ken


Ambush in Bartlette
Chapters 1 - 13


Law & Theory
Practice Tips
Specific Cases
Legal Theory

Back When I was a Defense Attorney


FEB03
Jury
Jury
JUN03
A Week in the Life
A Week in the Life
JUL03
A Week in the Life
OCT03
A Week in the Life
DEC03
A Week in the Life
JAN04
5 Events
A Needed Sign
A Week in the Life
Trial Desperation
A Week in the Life
A Week in the Life
Quick Panic
FEB04
Supress Motion
A Week in the Life
A Week in the Life
MAR04
A Week in the Life
Closing Argument
APR04
A Week in the Life
A Week in the Life
A Week in the Life
A Week in the Life
MAY04
A Week in the Life
A Week in the Life
A Week in the Life
JUN04
Chocolate Chip Marijuana
A Week in the Life
High School Critique
JUL04
A Week in the Life
Cripple v. Cop
01 Long Week
02 Long Week
03 Long Week
04 Long Week
05 Long Week
I'm a Narc
AUG04
Frustrating Day
Damn Yankee Defense
A Week in the Life
SEP04
Angry Relative
01 Long Week
OCT04
01 Long Week
02 Long Week
03 Long Week
04 Long Week
-----
01 Long Week
02 Long Week
03 Long Week
NOV04
Client Families
DEC04
01 Long Week
02 Long Week
03 Long Week
04 Long Week
05 Long Week
06 Long Week
Surprise at Prelim
Confronted
JAN05
A Sentencing Hearing
Sales Lady Visits
FEB05
Purse Search Brief
Violent Insane Client
MAR05
Affidavit of Truthfulness
Juvenile Detention Visit
Moments in the Life
Fail to Visit
APR05
Trial of the Century
MAY05
Transcript: Court Argument I Won
A Day in Court
Moments in the Life
Angry Jury Day
Angry Jury 02
JUN05
Eureka Sentencing Moment
My Own PI
Innovative Jail Phone Call
A Moment in Court
A Moment in Court
JUL05
Huh?
Raccoon Attack
AUG05
Picking on a Prosecutor Intern
Moments in the Life
SEP05
Victory by Speedy Trial
OCT05
Kicking Myself
A Day in the Life
Insane Client & 15 Deputies
Torture by Judge
A Federal Habeas
NOV05
Invisolawyer
Petition Freak Out
Moments in the Life
Moments in the Life
State Habeas
DEC05
Moments in the Life
JAN06
Jury Trial Fizzle
FEB06
A Bench Trial
Bittersweet "Victories"
A Prosecutor Tries to do Right
MAR06
What Just Happened?
Va. Worse than Conn.
Illness as a Defense Attorney
Failed Prison Visit
APR06
Heard in a Courthouse
Appellate Court Argument 01
Va. Court of Appeals
MAY06
Heard in Court
JUN06
Bad Press
Entire History of a Trial
Bad Press 02
JUL06
I Must be too Good
AUG06
Announce Becoming Prosecutor
The Last Life in a Week
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Client Communication
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CYA Letter: Felony Client
CYA Letter: Appeal
-----
Dear Mr. Jailhouse Lawyer
Conversation between Inmates about Lawyers
Innocent Client Pleads Guilty
Client Parents

Time as a Prosecutor


JAN07
The New Office
FEB07
Different Court Diferent Behavior
Competency
MAR07
Cats
Ma'am I'm the Prosecutor
JUN07
I know nothing
23 Felonies
JUL07
Cross
Cross II
2d Simplest Explanation
OCT07
Jury
FEB08
CrimLaw Prosecutorial Corollary #1
MAY08
Paranoia
JUN08
Why Not Drop?
JUL09
Buy Me Dinner First
AUG09
Jury Sentencing Argument
SEP09
Is Litter Patrol Jail?
OCT09
Paperwork Closing Argument
APR10
Bubonic Bob & the Creative Judge
JUL10
Finding the Perfect Witness
APR12
Small Town Cop : Big City Lawyer
JUN12
Maturity Ain't Orange
Criminal Law

Sentencing Law and Policy
FourthAmendment
Law of Criminal Defense
CrimProf
White Collar Crime Prof
4th Circuit
...
Simple Justice
Defending People
a public defender
Underdog
Indefensible
DUIblog
Southern District of Fla.
Criminal Defense
Harris Co. Crim Justice
...
Seeking Justice
Crime and Consequences
The Chicago Syndicate
Patterico's Pontifications
The Magistrate's Blog
Trials & Tribulations
Charon QC
Changing the Court


Virginia Blogs

SW Virginia Law
Va Poli Blogs
Vivian Page
Bearing Drift
Not Larry Sabato

Worthwhile

Bloggingheads.tv
Gruntled Center
WindyPundit
day by day
The Faculty Lounge
Legal Scholarship Blog
PrawfsBlog
Justice & Drugs
Ernie the Attorney
Bag & Baggage


In case anyone out there needs this warning: This ain't legal advice. Everything in the blog is off the cuff and no one goes back and reads all the cases and statutes before blogging. The law may have changed; cases misread and misunderstood two years ago can still lead to a clinging misperception. Courts in your county, city, or State probably don't operate as described herein. Feel free to be inspired, but YOU MUST ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH OR HIRE A COMPETENT ATTORNEY TO DO SO because I haven't.


Tech &
Vlogs
This Week in Tech
TWIT Live
Spill.com
Tekzilla


Archive

January 2003
February 2003
March 2003
April 2003
May 2003
June 2003
July 2003
August 2003
September 2003
October 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
November 2012
December 2012
January 2013
February 2013
March 2013
April 2013
May 2013





NOTICE
Be advised that all
e-mails received are subject to inclusion in the Blawg. If you do not wish your name published with that e-mail make certain that you notify me in it.

Copyright

Everything herein is copyrighted by Kenneth Frank Patrick Lammers Junior. License for use of particular posts is granted so long as this site is linked to and credited. Serial republishing of all or the majority of posts on a separate website from CrimLaw is forbidden.