Guilty Until Proven Innocent

A defendant's view from the trenches of federal criminal court

“Everywhere you turn there’s some caveat that’s biased against the defendant,” said the Firm’s new Associate Michael Hassard. This is not news to criminal defense lawyers, we all have this moment, and Mike was learning about one of the more blatant biases: “Jencks,” the nickname for a McCarthy-era federal law that allows prosecutors to withhold witness…