Preface
This is a book of courtroom war stories, drawn from my forty years of experience as an obscure lawyer for the underdog and the downtrodden. Like that familiar Bob Dylan persona, I’m a “complete unknown,” and that’s a plus. With nothing to lose, I’m free to tell the whole truth, and I’m accountable to nobody but you and my conscience. My cases will entertain you, but they have value beyond that, as an insider look at the American justice system, which is rigged against the poor and people of color and tolerates police perjury.
Here are my most memorable trials and appeals, gritty and heartfelt accounts of my work, for people who were guilty of terrible crimes, for powerless victims of injustice, and for clients who fit both descriptions. I begin with an account of my devolution, one might say, from a privileged birth, to near-death (twice), to an emotional crackup and life on the minimum wage, a fall from grace which educated me and led me to summon the inner strength needed to work for and among the despised and downtrodden.
Then come my stories of actual courtroom battles, arranged in emotional order as I remembered and wrote them. I’ve put you directly into the pit, right below the Judge’s bench, the place assigned by custom and rule to lawyers and clients. The pit is a place where whirlpools of surprise evidence, or the riptides of karma in the guise of chance, can sweep you away into uncharted, rogue-waved seas without benefit of life jacket.
This book is meant for everyone, but my hope is that law students and others thinking about becoming a lawyer will read it, because values-based lawyering is something that’s out there and worth considering. I hope my stories will challenge those of you — you know who you are, you who dream of soft landings in the glittering halls of boring, soul-free law firms doing the bidding of the uber-rich and powerful — to visualize the alternative, a career that’s built on cases and causes that further the public interest and human rights and care of the natural world.
I know from experience that you can succeed as a lawyer working for the public good, even if no one will hire you. I was happiest and most productive when I worked privately and flew solo, with no support staff, relying instead on my telephone, my computer, Westlaw legal research, and paying Google to prioritize me in response to searches for criminal defense lawyers. By keeping my overhead low, I was able to work on righteous cases like those described here, for the benefit of working people, the indigent, people of color, abused and neglected children, and on behalf of wildlife. So, if after reading this you want to be a Renegade for Justice, whether as a lawyer or in some other helping profession, feel free and go for it; it’s a wide-open field. All you have to do is begin.