The Tennessee Legislature passed a new sentencing bill in the last minutes of the legislative session. The proposed new law would establish a new enhancement factor for defendants who are aliens illegally or unlawfully in this country and who have previously been deported for a criminal offense. If the sentence cannot be agreed to by
Should Your Client Testify at a Sentencing Hearing ?
Being a criminal defense attorney requires you to use many types of advocacy. You have preliminary hearings , motion hearings , jury trials ,and sentencing hearings. Each area requires different skills of persuasion. Today , I want to discuss one aspect of sentencing hearings.
Sometimes your client is found guilty after trial or agrees to
Tips From “Making Your Case”
A criminal defense attorney’s work is not limited to jury trials.Most of the day to day work a criminal defense lawyer performs is trying to persuade a judge to embrace their legal position.From sentencing hearings , probation violation hearings , bond reduction hearings , and motions to suppress evidence , an attorney has to be able to make their case to the judge.
I have been rereading parts of Justice Antonin Scalia and Bryan Garner’s book , Making Your Case The Art of Persuading Judges.There are three main points that bears mentioning for my fellow attorneys.
