Seth Godin wrote a great blog post about river guides. The post hit home since I went down the Colorado River on a raft trip last year. Mr. Godin talks about a river guide piloting a dory down Lava Falls. Lava Falls is one of the best rapids in the Grand Canyon. It takes great skill , experience , and knowledge to get past the rapids. Why ? The water is always changing. The flow might be different. Rapids move. A river guide has but one goal.Get the boat to the end of the river.

Knowledge of the river much like the knowledge and experience of a DUI lawyer is critical. While the cases are much the same , each case is different .Different judges, assistant district attorneys, and different facts chart a different course for each case. An experienced lawyer may be able to guide you out of danger. Mr.Godin writes that the practice of being a great guide is choosing the right tactic, the ability to hold the tiller with confidence but not locking into it. A great criminal defense lawyer does much the same thing. Pick a single defense not a shotgun approach , stay true to the defense , but not lock into the defense if something changes.

A young reckless pilot might get lucky one time or the lawyer that always plea bargains might get lucky. Like the attorney this week that wondered why his case got reduced. The lawyer had no clue that forced blood draws are under attack based on a recent U.S.Supreme Court case. The lawyer got lucky on the kindness of a assistant district attorney. I wonder who he might have plead guilty that had a valid defense.

The key is if your facing a criminal conviction that has life long consequences , you want the best pilot you can get to get you down the river safely.

 

By the way , the image is of a dory heading down Lava Falls.