AR: a good juvy p.d.

Hey! An upbeat, positive portrayal of a public defender! Meet Lora Noschese of Bentonville, Arkansas.

Deputy public defender’s mission is to help children:

"We sometimes forget to mention the good things that kids do and only focus on the negative," she said. "Some kids may never have received any praise. I try to give them positive recognition for the good things. A simple pat on the back can be a powerful thing."

Yay, juvenile public defenders!

Meanwhile, in Fayetteville, the public defenders are busier than ever.

Bless you, John Wesley Hall, Jr.!

John Wesley Hall, Jr. is a good man. He may or may not remember talking me through an ethical minefield years back in Twin Falls; I imagine he's helped hundreds of us criminal defense types out of similar jams. Thank you, NACDL, and thank you, Professor.

So let me recommend Law of Criminal Defense.com, the website supporting his book, Professional Responsibility in Criminal Defense Practice (2005). 34 chapters, some 5000 footnotes, and he still finds it in himself to link to my silly blog! Check out the book too if you get the chance.

On the website, scroll down to The Rules:

§ 1:1. The Rules [from the book, without footnotes or citations]

Rule No. 1:
Your word is your bond. Always live by this rule...

Rule No. 2:
Listen to your gut...

Rule No. 3:
Always be loyal to the client...

Rule No. 4:
Never trust the client, his or her friends, witnesses, or relatives. Trust only yourself...

Rule No. 5:
Say nothing or do nothing that you would be afraid to read about in the newspaper or in a transcript or hear in a courtroom some day...

Rule No. 6:
Properly handle the fee like your career and livelihood depend upon it, because they do... (okay this one doesn't apply to me, but it may to you)

Rule No. 7:
The lawyer should not be the one to go to jail...

Rule No. 8:
Be the best lawyer and person you can be...

I will try, Mr. Hall. Have a safe trip to Sierra Leone; I owe you.

One of our own this time

Arkansas public defender Joe Kelly Hardin was arrested Wednesday on a second-offense driving while intoxicated charge. A BAC of 0.22 no less.

I must run and tell True Believer.

Medicinal meth

I've done a jury trial involving medical marijuana, but this really kicks it up a notch:

"Craig Harris' argument that he manufactured methamphetamine for medicinal reasons was rejected Thursday by a Crawford County jury, which recommended that he spend 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction."

"Harris said he tried methamphetamine about five years ago but didn’t like it. However, about 18 months ago, he tried it again for relief from pain and found that it helped.“I started making it so I would know what I was taking and wouldn’t get someone else’s stuff,” Harris told the jury."

If one thing stands out about meth cookers, it's their craftsman-like devotion to pure ingredients and quality control.

"Harris said he began manufacturing the drug at his Cedarville home about a month before it was raided, and cooked methamphetamine about once a month. He said he used the drug every few days. “I would use it whenever I felt I needed it,” he said. “If I hadn’t been using it, I probably wouldn’t be here now,” Harris said."

...in a quote apparently recorded at the Arkansas State Pen.

"“It helped me get through the day. It had a healing effect on me. I was able to function during the day,” Harris said.“It (methamphetamine) worked my heart and it needed to be worked. I couldn’t walk, so it took the place of exercise,” Harris said."

Forget Atkins and South Beach! Now it's the Cedarville Diet! It's how so many of our clients stay so fit. Enjoy your 25 years on the yard, schmendrick.