For most people charged with a crime the thought of having a whole team of legal professionals to stand up for them is nothing but wishful thinking. These days, most criminal defense attorneys are solo practitioners with a small staff and few resources to pull from if they are needed. The truth is the idea of solo lawyer to fight for you has limitations that leave you at a disadvantage when it comes to a real battle for your freedom. Legal defense is like most other services or good we purchase these days, you may find something “cheap” in the beginning but you always end of paying for it in the end.
Frank Lannom Law Group showed why it matters to have a team on Tuesday. On Monday visitors came to my farm to watch the Great American Eclipse and asked to see and ride our horses and ponies. The horse I was riding lost his footing and the result was the horse’s head and my head met on a collision course which left me wobbly, bruised, and battered.
Tuesday was a heavy court docket with DUI cases, multiple drug cases, and domestic violence cases on the docket. Within minutes of arriving at the office, it become clear to those around me that I had more than just a black and swollen eye. My team of attorneys and paralegals quickly determined that a concussion was likely affecting my speech and actions. Attorney Donnavon Vasek and my senior full-time investigator Andrew Nutt (Andrew has graduated law school and waiting to take the bar, after which he will become another valued member of my team of attorneys). While in court, Donnavon reviewed the extensive video tape reviews, client and witness interviews, and client statements in the file with my assistance. Melanie Bean, with 15 years of criminal defense practice, was also available to provide experienced input.
While continuances were certainly available to my clients given my injury, we decided to operate as a team on Tuesday. We used the day to reach agreements that ended the ordeals of two of our clients by avoiding a DUI conviction for one and felony drug conviction for the other. These results may not have been available on another day but, with a team available including investigators and office staff, we were able to take advantage of opportunities that presented themselves to the benefit of our clients.
Tuesday could have been a loss for my clients and it wasn’t because they hired not only me but my staff of professional and skilled legal professionals. Years of experience combined with full team of lawyers, investigators, and paralegals meant the ordeal of a criminal prosecution ended for them that day.
Thank you to the team for their hard work. And, before you ask, the horse and I both are fine.
In defense of the citizen accused.