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Defending Child Abuse Allegations in Arizona State and Federal Court

As a former Assistant Federal Public Defender, I have experience representing clients accused of crimes ranging from gun charges and interstate drug trafficking to complex financial matters involving interstate wire transfers.  I always appreciated practicing in Federal court because of the tremendous caliber of lawyers at the US Attorney’s office and the diversity of dealing […]

Knapp: How Private Attorneys Can Help Public Defenders

You just have to watch a few Law and Order: SVU episodes to know the that when someone is arrested, they are read Miranda warnings.  While the 100 words in Miranda are all valuable, “the right to an attorney” and that, “if you cannot afford one, one will be provided to you” is of particular […]

A Position of Trust II: Teachers Facing Prosecution for Failure to Report Child Abuse

When mandatory reporters fail to report suspected child abuse, they are complicit in letting the abuse continue. Educators, in particular, have such a unique and consistent level of interaction with children that makes them a reliable source of child abuse/neglect reports. Due to this, nearly all states, including Arizona, lists teachers as mandated reporters. But when […]

A Position of Trust: Teachers Accused of Sexual Misconduct with Students

Due to their close proximity to students, teachers and school personnel are often the first line of defense when it comes to identifying signs of child abuse and they are often blamed for failing to detect abuse sooner. Teachers are expected to act as detectives – to notice and question every bruise, every unwashed shirt, […]

The Importance of Pre-Charge/Pre-Indictment Counsel

Prior to working in private practice, I was an Assistant Federal Public defender. In this role, I received cases long after charges had been filed. Meaning, the opportunity for many of my clients to avoid being charged had long since passed. Grand Jurys had convened, statements were recorded, and the case had inertia ever before […]