Check out RLC's new commercial! ...

Dear Readers, One of the purposes of this space, as I see it, is to try to bring some context to the law. I think it is important for me to make you understand more fully how practical it might be to apply rigid rules. In this light, this week's column is about ... dogs. That's right dogs. Not everyone feels the same about dogs as I do. For a dog lover like me, my buddies are a part of my family. And, if someone did something mean to my dogs and I'd be all over them, just like any parent protec...

Dear Readers, Our criminal justice hangs on a delicate plea bargaining system. Judges oversee this system with the right to reject any joint recommendation reached between the prosecution and a defendant. Somewhere between 94% and 97% of all criminal cases are resolved by plea bargains; if the plea bargaining process collapsed, our whole criminal justice would go under with it. We do not have enough courtrooms or juries to try every case – let alone enough judges or prosecutors. Our criminal ju...

Dear Readers, I had the pleasure of serving the citizens of Houston County and Dade County/Miami as a prosecutor for more than ten (10) years. I recommend to all newly minted attorneys, who want to be trial lawyers, that they start their careers out in a prosecutor's office. What a privilege it was to do so! One of the perks (and curses) of being a prosecutor is that we are supposed to serve a "higher purpose." Prosecuting attorneys are guides for judges, on the law, and trusted ethical arms of...

Dear Readers, We may be entering a new age of literary publishing that is creating a revolution in the way and where we buy books. What it ultimately means for the quality of writing and how it is distributed, remains to be seen. Fueling this revolution are Kindles (Amazon), Nooks (Barnes & Noble) and iPads (Apple), with Amazon still dominating the "e-book" market with more than half of all e-revenues. The existence of "electronic" versions of books, downloaded to a tablet-like device, allow fo...