Scott Greenfield on the deteriorating economics of solo criminal defense

Greenfield offers his view at his Simple Justice blog.  (h/t: Concurring Opinions)

Comments

[David Cameron Carr]

Wow. It's bracing to hear the truth so plainly articulated. And his observations are not only relevant to criminal defense lawyers, but many solo and small firm lawyers who represent real people. Everyday I hear lawyers tell me they are fed up and want out. But for most, there's no place to go.

[John Steele]

Scott Greenfield sent me this comment and asked me to post it here.

"My post was deliberately blunt, even hyperbolic, in an effort to start a frank discussion of the problems that many (not all, but most I believe) criminal defense lawyers are facing. Few want to admit they starving, as it suggests they aren't good lawyers and their moribund practice is their own fault. I tried to move the discussion beyond this bravado.

I know many excellent lawyers whose practices are dead. Having worked with them, I know that they're great lawyers, and so the facile response from lawyers who are eking out a living (that the lawyers experiencing hard time just aren't good enough to succeed) isn't true.

If there is a fix to be had, it has to begin with an honest discussion of what's happening to the practice of law. Sadly, my post hasn't done much to generate any meaningful discussion as yet. At the very least, however, it's offered some comfort to those lawyers who are suffering, so they know they aren't alone and it's not their fault."

[Rick Underwood]

This is an important post. Even in the fly-over states there are too many unprepared lawyers in relatively big cities. I know I cannot get any NY and Cal lawyers to leave home, but I think there is still some hope to get folks here out into small towns where they can be part of the Community. The more important point is that our justice system/court system is crumbling. We process people in machine-like fashion. What happened to the jury trial? I feel like everything I teach is obsolete! Do any of the rest of you feel this way?