Philip J. Clarke III

“Give me liberty or give me death.” I get that. Over the last 20+ years, I have represented many many clients, young, old, all walks of life, charged with crimes (some rightly, some-wrongly, some both) For many, their quality of life is suddenly gone, because they are incarcerated, and cannot make bond. For those folks, the powerful and slow machine that is our legal system begins its punishment long before any guilt is proven– the accused is isolated, and their ability to help themselves is very limited, perhaps especially in finding a good lawyer. If you want to help a loved one in jail, try to find an attorney who has both the ability and desire do all they can to help, because that attorney will become a sort of lifeline to the person who has become a prisoner awaiting trial. When you find yourself a prisoner, being told when and where and how to do everything; forced to wait in a cell behind bars to be heard by a judge someday — and when that day comes, with a courtroom of other folks waiting to be heard (or by video), nothing really happens, this repeated disappointment can lead to despair and poor decision making. To experience this without the benefit of an attorney who will help the person understand the process and provide guidance is mentally torturous. This system sometimes seems to be designed to wear down the accused who is in jail and cannot make bond. An attorney may be able to have the judge reduce the bond. The best way to help with this is to get good legal counsel as soon as possible. I am an active criminal trial lawyer who works hard at evaluating cases, pushes for the best and quickest possible outcomes for my clients, and am glad to go to trial if that is the best option, and regularly do. I care about people and families, so being a helper, an advocate, and a defender of accused persons in a system that is routinely very hard on the individual and the family is more than just a job to me.