Why SBMlaw for your case?

To Win

A criminal defendant has less than one chance out of four (on average) of winning at trial or reversing a conviction through a direct appeal. To maximize the chance that you will be one of the select few who are successful, SBMlaw accepts a limited number of clients and approaches each case with a deep commitment to the client’s cause.

SBMlaw Appeals

The SBMlaw process for appeals is to:

Learn the case backward and forward;
Follow cases pending in the Maryland appellate courts (many an appeal is predestinated by decisions or results in intervening cases);
Strip the record to its most important parts;
Review every available discovery document from trial and every available record document on appeal – including the actual court file in Annapolis;
Meet the client in person wherever he may be incarcerated in Maryland;
Consult with trial counsel to gain additional insight into the record and whether anything of substance occurred “off” the record;
Draft the brief with the twin purposes of emphasizing that the case is important and the result below wrong; and
Never waive oral argument or submit an appeal on brief.

SBMlaw Trials

The SBMlaw process for trial work is to:

Learn the facts of the case from every available perspective;
Anticipate the judge, prosecutor and local procedure;
Know the applicable law and follow developing trends in the appellate courts, prosecutor’s offices and police departments;
Investigate and develop every aspect of the record;
Do not assume anything, from the conclusions in a drug report to the credentials of a prosecution expert;
Litigate pretrial suppression motions;
Protect the record for appeal; and
See the case through the eyes of the jury.

SBMlaw Style for Appellate Briefs and Trial Court Motions

In sum, as Justice Story gave counsel:

Be brief, be pointed;
Lucid in style and order;
Spend no words on trifles;
Condense;
Strike but a few blows, strike them to the heart; Scattered fires smother in smoke and noise;
Keep this your main guide;
Short be your speech, your matter strong and clear; and
Leave off, leave off when done.