Top Ten Ways To Build Your Criminal Defense Practice
I’m just a plainspoken Colorado criminal defense lawyer, but the way I see it…
Because I may never pass this way again, I wanted to leave a bit of advice for those who will replace me. My ten best tips on how to gain a client base for your most robust practice with those who live outside the law, like me, but, not like me, get caught.
They are:
10. Join a biker gang.
9. Throw a party for the neighborhood drug dealers.
8. Place an ad in Mafia Today.
7. Buy a Lincoln.
6. Commit a minor crime that won’t get you disbarred, and do some quality networking in jail.
5. Start a campaign to criminalize coffee.
4. Change your name to Philip Corleone. (Use your own first name: that one’s taken.)
3. Attend a different Catholic church every Sunday and chat up some altar boys.
2. Meet a few working girls and tell them, no, really, I just want to talk.
And the Number One Top Ten Way To Build Your Criminal Defense Practice:
1. Stop buying lunches for other criminal defense attorneys — they’re just as clueless as you are — and pal up with some plain old…criminal…defense attorneys.
4 December 2024 @ 5:21 am
Philip, while I came late to your blog, I am very glad that I did! I’ve been a criminal defense attorney for 34 years and spent around 15 years as an Assistant Public Defender and as the Chief in my small central NY County. My expertise has been in DWI’s as I started out as a DWI prosecutor before I moved to the white hat side and I’ve never regretted it. Congratulations on your retirement and I hope you continue to be an inspiration in your community. Lastly, I too share your feelings about the future of our country given the insanity about to be unleashed. You can’t reason with mental illness. Good luck!
4 December 2024 @ 10:50 am
Thank you, Nancy, for your kind words and lengthy service to the legal profession. Not completely retired: keeping my law license so I can continue to help folks pro bono; just not taking any money anymore. Terrible business model, but then I’ve never been a businessman. Fare thee well.
3 December 2024 @ 2:29 pm
Philip,
I just retired from a 48 year criminal practice in Montana. I have really enjoyed your blog as you represent my philosophy on the practice very well. Thanks for all your time and hard work putting it all together. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
3 December 2024 @ 6:10 pm
Steve, what a tremendous life in the law you must have lived. I would have enjoyed writing about some of it. It means a lot to me that you have put up with this drunk and disorderly lawyer for just about seven years. Fare thee well.