I have defended all kinds of people over the years - and I've taken very seriously my role as their advocate in the criminal-justice system. When a client contacts me, I know what I've got to do. Sometimes a client is incarcerated - first off, I'll work to get them out of jail as quickly as possible, and then I'll address the charges. Depending on the case, I may spend all my time working to simply limit the sanctions. Wherever and whoever my clients may be, I tell them the same thing - I tell them I'll always perform to the best of my abilities, and always ethically. At the same time, I'll never guarantee an outcome for them. Criminal-defense lawyers are in a unique position - often, when we achieve a good result, we're not likely to get much credit from the public for it. Earlier this year I handled the case of a 31-year-old Newark man charged as a career offender in Federal Court, and we succeeded in getting his conviction thrown out. And the front-page headline in the Star-Ledger read this way: "Legal Technicality Frees Convicted Drug Dealer." I'm handling more white-collar crime cases these days, now that I'm at Wilentz. I feel I'm part of a unique and special team here - there are resources here that no independent attorney has, and most other firms could only hope to have. The amount of interdisciplinary co-operation and assistance is amazing - for instance, I can walk down the hall and receive input from the best civil attorneys in the state.

The job of a criminal attorney gets romanticized in movies and television shows, but the fact is that 98% of what we do is about hard work, diligence and preparation. Those who make it look easy are the ones who are best prepared. I've been in both venues, as a partner in a small firm and as an attorney in a large firm that has substantial resources. Don't get me wrong, I totally respect what the sole practitioner does - but there's no question that the client benefits greatly from the array of resources and expertise that a leading firm like Wilentz can provide.