SECTION UPDATE
Criminal Law Section Update
By Jamila M. Hall
Jones Day
"I
f an obscure Florida convict named Clarence Earl
Gideon had not sat down in his prison cell . . . to write
a letter to the Supreme Court . . . the vast machinery of
American law would have gone on functioning undisturbed.
But Gideon did write
on Solutions was voted that letter, the Court did look into his
case . . . and the whole course of American legal history has
eportingbeen changed." —Robert F. Kennedy
Service of 2011”
- The Daily Report
March 18, 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark
to all of our case, and employees
clients Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963). The
Gideon case extended the constitutional right to counsel to
criminal defendants in state court proceedings. The right to
counsel is something we now take for granted; it is difficult
to imagine equal justice without it. In honor of Gideon's
50th anniversary, the Criminal Law section held a cocktail
reception at Jones Day with criminal defense attorney Bobby
www.esquiresolutions.com
Lee Cook. Mr. Cook has been practicing for over 60 years,
having tried more than 1000 jury trials including over 300
[email protected]
murder trials. Mr. Cook took the attendees through a series
of war stories, pre- and post-Gideon, and discussed the
implications of Gideon on our legal system. The Gideon
case is rather near and dear to Mr. Cook's heart. One of
his close friends argued the case before the Supreme Court
and Mr. Cook attended the oral arguments. What resonated
from Mr. Cook's talk was the fact that he has and continues
to represent scores of defendants regardless of their ability
to pay, because he believed that justice required diligent
representation on both sides. The attendees were inspired
to look at their own practice of law and think about ways to
promote equal justice. The next meeting of the Criminal Law
Section will be on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at Jones Day.
Paul Kish will be presenting on the use of expert witnesses
by criminal defendants. Looking ahead, the section will be
hosting a happy hour on May 7, 2013 at No Mas Cantina.
Please join us. ▪
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THE ATLANTA LAWYER
30
THE ATLANTA LAWYER
April 2013
27
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association