A Criminal Defense Quotes

“They fail not because they’re unable to adapt to society’s mores, but because they adapt too well to the rules of poverty and violence that govern the world in which they’re raised. Lawyers”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“It’s been said of Pennsylvania that it’s made up of Pittsburgh on the west end, Philadelphia on the east, and Alabama in the middle.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“It is a truism among lawyers that the practice of law would be great were it not for the clients. And”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“I don’t think stress makes a person “not me.” I think it brings out the “me” beneath the surface.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“Her empty bed evokes a hollow ache inside me. I can feel her absence outside myself as well, an unnatural stillness that pervades the air, the walls, the floors—as though the whole house misses her. One”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“I am revoking the defendant’s bail and remanding him to the county prison, to remain there until and through the duration of his trial.” With that he nods to the two deputies, who walk to the front of the courtroom, cuff David, and lead him out the side door, their destination the holding cells in the subbasement. David will stay there until five o’clock, at which time he will be loaded into the sheriff’s bus and transported to the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia. I watch David’s exit, watch him hold his head high, keep his back straight, trying to retain as much dignity as he can. Before the deputies close the door behind them, David glances back into the courtroom. I’ve seen the “last glance” from dozens of defendants, seen the guilt, sorrow, regret, fear, numbed disbelief plastered all over their faces as they take in a final look at the loved ones they’re leaving behind, sometimes for good. But David isn’t looking back in sadness or distress. And he isn’t looking at Marcie. His eyes hold only hatred for his real enemy. For Edwin. According to David, it was Edwin who placed the anonymous call to the DA’s office. Somehow,”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“table for two next to one of the windows, drink mimosas, and gorge ourselves on Sunday brunch. We start with smoked Scottish salmon, cheeses, and salads from the café table. Then Piper has a Belgian waffle and I have the crab-cake Benedict. We finish off with mini cakes and parfaits. All the while, we gossip like schoolgirls about the dramas of the night before.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“They run afoul of the law because their neighborhoods and schools teem with indolence, indifference, and outright criminality. They fail not because they’re unable to adapt to society’s mores, but because they adapt too well to the rules of poverty and violence that govern the world in which they’re raised.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“is a truism among lawyers that the practice of law would be great were it not for the clients. And criminal-defense attorneys complain the loudest of all. After all, our clients are not only needy and demanding—they are also, for the most part, criminals. Some are violent criminals, sociopaths, or pathological narcissists.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“Or maybe he didn’t buy the house for the girl,” Tommy says. “Maybe he bought the girl for the house.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“I don’t say anything. I’ve heard a lot of guys say, But that’s not me. That’s not who I am. I was under a lot of stress. I don’t think stress makes a person “not me.” I think it brings out the “me” beneath the surface.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“Vaughn tells a story about a call girl he once represented who went by the name of Wednesday. “So I asked her why not pick some other day of the week, say, Saturday or Monday? She looks at me like I’m dumb as wood. ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ she says. ‘Wednesday is hump day.’” We all burst out laughing. Vaughn’s punch line opens a valve, unleashing the pressure that’s been building inside of us for the past few months. Susan and I take turns regaling the table with our own tales, and I realize this is what I love about practicing in a firm like ours. It is a truism among lawyers that the practice of law would be great were it not for the clients. And criminal-defense attorneys complain the loudest of all. After all, our clients are not only needy and demanding—they are also, for the most part, criminals. Some are violent criminals, sociopaths, or pathological narcissists. But these are the worst of the lot, and the fewest. Most of our clients don’t find themselves in orange jumpsuits because they harbor a truly malicious nature. They run afoul of the law because their neighborhoods and schools teem with indolence, indifference, and outright criminality. They fail not because they’re unable to adapt to society’s mores, but because they adapt too well to the rules of poverty and violence that govern the world in which they’re raised. Lawyers like me, firms like mine, do our best to guide these men and women through the intestines of the dragon they woke up inside. If they’re lucky, we’ll get them out the other end before too much more damage is done. If we’re lucky, we’ll get paid fairly and enjoy a few laughs along the way—to go with the tears, frustrations,”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“liberating bursts of pure passion unconstrained by antiquated notions of form and structure.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“Occam’s razor. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the truth.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“I stop at a Wawa.”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense

“Bauer’s sad row house. The exterior of the three-story structure is beat-up brick. The house has a wooden porch, its green paint dirty and starting to peel. Flowerpots adorn the porch and the top step, but the plants are dead. Half a dozen newspapers, still in their plastic wrappers, are scattered about. Celine Bauer has clearly stopped caring”
― William L. Myers Jr., A Criminal Defense