LEARNING FROM GREAT LAWYERS AND FRIENDS FOR JUSTICE

By Jonathan L. Katz

   Lawyers who are devoted to justice must open themselves up to constantly learn, and must share with other like-minded lawyers their knowledge, skills, and passion for justice. Some lawyers and friends for justice tower as giants as great teachers who educate by example, through the time they give to other lawyers whether it be through seminars, strategizing in the court hallways or on the phone, and through skilled and empathetic ears. All of the following people, except for Cat Bennett -- who passed away in 1992 before I had a chance to meet her -- have selflessly shared their gifts of compassion, knowledge and skill directly with me. Like all who receive such gifts, I am obligated to share their gifts and to give of myself. 

Cat Bennett Cathy Bennett was a great jury trial consultant and friend of criminal defendants and their lawyers. Sadly, Cat passed away in 1992. Cat's following quote captures her compassion: "Give people their flowers in this lifetime."

Stephen B. Bright Steve is among the great lawyers defending indigent death penalty defendants. Others great capital defenders are Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, and Andrea Lyon, currently teaching at the University of Michigan law school and previously the founder and director of the Illinois Capital Resource Center. Steve Bright is a selfless and dedicated  fighter against the death penalty. He directs the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. .

Courtesy of Stephen B. Bright

Judy Clarke Judy is a selfless and passionate defender of indigent criminal defendants. Judy heads the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho, is a past President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and teaches at the National Criminal Defense College. In 1995, Judy volunteered to co-defend Susan Smith in her capital trial in South Carolina. 

Judy Clarke (Back row, 2nd from left)

Donald Clarkson. Don is a great person, clinical social worker, and psychodramatist. He has helped countless trial lawyers serve their clients more powerfully, primarily through using psychodrama. Don is at once gentle and firm in guiding lawyers and non-lawyers to finding solutions to their challenges and problems. Don, along with fellow psychodramatist John Nolte, is indispensable to the annual Trial Lawyers College. Don is based in Washington, DC.

Don Clarkson (l) & John Nolte (r) (from www.twfj.org)

Mary Jane De Frank Mary Jane for many years headed the ACLU's Washington, DC, affiliate with effective determination, gentleness, and selflessness. She is a living example that effective fighters can achieve much strength through gentleness. The ACLU's National Capital Area affiliate has made great strides under the leadership of Mary Jane and Legal Director Art Spitzer. Mary Jane served as local ACLU affiliate Executive Director through 2001. 

Courtesy of Don Haines, ACLU

John Johnson - John was a great man and a great jury trial consultant. He believed strongly in people's ability to derive great power from being real, feeling and expressing love, and finding inner peace. To deal with our pain, John said, we first must embrace the pain before sending it on its way; this sounds similar to the t'ai chi approach of embracing the tiger. John much preferred having a bucket of cow dung to a bucket of beautiful fake flowers, for at least the cow dung bucket holds something real. For John, the necessity and power of realness was underlined by the Velveteen Rabbit. John taught at his close friend Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyer's College in the College's first two years of 1994 and 1995. John left the planet in early 1996 after his conflict with cancer, but in many ways he lives on as if he had never left. In 1994, John penned A Meeting With Mother Earth, which hangs in my office to remind me of John and of my place on the planet both personally and professionally. 

John Johnson and Gerry Spence

Larry Pozner- Larry is one of a succession of great training directors from the Colorado Public Defender's office, the others being Stephen Rench and Sunwolf, who are also honored here. Larry, often as a team with great trial lawyer Roger Dodd, masterfully and selflessly teaches lawyers the art of powerful cross examination and powerful trial advocacy. Larry is a past President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and teaches at the National Criminal Defense College. He is in private law practice in Denver, Colorado.

Stephen Rench - Steve is an incredible powerhouse of a lawyer. He is a living example of the tremendous power of combining passion, preparation, persuasion, positive thinking, and positive communication for our trial clients. Steve inspires trial lawyers to dare to be great. Steve practices law in Denver, Colorado. He is a past training director of the Colorado Public Defender's office, and is on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College. Steve wrote the indispensable Rench Book, which is a guide to preparing for jury trials. 

Steve Rench with Jon Katz

Gerry Spence- Through dedication, natural ability, and a passion and need to win, Gerry transcended early obstacles to became a masterful persuader in the courtroom. The keys to Gerry's success are simple yet profound principles that require strong devotion to apply, and which are discussed in his book How To Argue And Win Every Time (St. Martin's Press, 1995). Since 1994, Gerry has devoted tremendous time and, love to the Trial Lawyer's College, Dubois, WY, which focuses on making better trial lawyers out of those who primarily represent people, and making judges more compassionate, as well.

Gerry Spence with Jon Katz

Sunwolf- It is an amazing experience to participate in a trial law session led by Sunwolf. Sunwolf's motto is "Reality is no obstacle". Preparation and persuasion are the key weapons for a successful trial lawyer. Sunwolf shows the power of persuading through storytelling. Sunwolf is a past training director of the Colorado Public Defender's office, and is on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College. She teaches communications at Santa Clara University. See more by me about Sunwolf here, and her detailed storynet biography here. 

Courtesy of Sunwolf

HOW WE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE FOR YOU:

Marks & Katz fights for our clients armed with the following principles: (1) We stick to our highly-experienced roots of going to the mat one client at a time, regardless of how anonymous or high profile is our client or the case, and regardless of how controversial the matter; (2) Our sole obligation is to our clients and justice, in a legal system with the potential of doing substantial justice, but also fraught with landmines to inflict severe harm; (3) We keep at least an arm's length from the legal establishment, opposing lawyers, judges, and authorities, in order to keep our clients' interests and justice first; (4) Because nothing beats in-depth experience, your case stays with one or both of our two founding law partners -- with over thirty years of combined experience -- from beginning to end.  

FOR A CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION, CONTACT US:

How We Bill/Contact Us:

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

justice@markskatz.com

WE TRAVEL EVERYWHERE IN MARYLAND, DC, AND VIRGINIA FOR JUSTICE

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JAY S. MARKS (Admitted in MD/DC/IL, and the U.S. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)).  Se habla español. Se fala portugues.

JONATHAN L. KATZ  (Admitted in MD/DC/VA state and federal courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court) Se habla español. On parle français. 

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