Public Defender Investigator Network

Just a few weeks after Duval County Public Defender Matt Shirk hired Rosalie Bolin — a death penalty mitigation specialist who is married to a Florida Death Row inmate — Shirk canceled her contract Tuesday.

Shirk said while her experience, prior successes and unique perspective on capital punishment would normally enhance his office’s capital crimes unit, he also cited her “well-publicized and colorful personal life that has grabbed the attention of many in the 4th Judicial Circuit, including the news media.”

“I believe that it is in the best interests of our clients that we work diligently on their cases and not allow tangential discourse to ever compromise the serious nature of a capital proceeding our office handles on their behalf,” he said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

Shirk told the Times-Union Wednesday night he didn’t know Bolin was married to a Death Row inmate before his office hired her. Nor did he know of the issues in her personal life.

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The 2010 Regional Conference will take place in beautiful Savannah, GA. Click here to get the registration form.

The 2010 Regional Conference will be from September 9 through September 10, 2010. The Hyatt Regency Savannah is located across the river from Hutchison Island in lovely Savannah, GA, only a short distance from the Georgia-South Carolina border.

The government per diem rate will be $106 for single or double occupancy per night (plus tax).To register for the conference, please see below for a link to the 2010 NDIA Regional Conference Registration form. It is important that all attendees book their rooms directly through the Hyatt Regency.

To book rooms, please use the link below to contact the Hyatt Regency directly. Be sure to indicate you are with the NDIA in order to get the $106 per diem rate.There is no shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. Taxi service is approximately $30 one way.

If you have any questions call Beverly Davidson at the NDIA office 860-635-5533.

http://savannah.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

What is a criminal defense lawyer? He or she is a legal professional who organizes a case in order to represent a client who is accused of a crime.

These crimes include sex, drug and violent offenses which are things that are not approved by society as seen in this country’s laws.

The job now of the criminal defense lawyer is to fight for the client by defending the client in open court in a jury of their peers. In some cases, this person is successful when the jury gives a verdict of not guilty. Other times, the jury will say that the accused is guilty.

If the jury does not have a unanimous decision, the judge has no choice but to call f Read more…

One way or another, sometimes we have our day in court. This means that whether or not the client is culpable of the crime he committed, his criminal defense lawyer should do his best to defend his client from the crime committed and will not be convicted.

How will you do that job? If you are a public defender, and the client is appointed to you and you’ve got to satisfy him. Before this person is arraigned in court, you may have time to discuss what is going to be his plea that will then be presented to the judge.

Afterwards, you will have ample time be given thus you’ll be able to conduct an investigation, review police reports and examine the evidence to organize you for trial.

During the trial, each side is in a position to present witnesses. Some of these are consultants and after the prosecution queries this person on the stand, you will have th Read more…