Imalawman wrote:Dan Riley = F'ing moron.
Apparently this isn't a real lawyer - the level of stupidity is astounding with these guys.
Mark joined Kacavas Ramsdell & Howard in 2006 after 8 years as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney�s Office, and 19 years of trial experience in federal and state courts in New Hampshire and throughout the country. His practice includes federal and state criminal defense, federal and state appeals, commercial litigation, personal injury and professional liability matters.
As an Assistant United States Attorney from 1998 to 2006, Mark prosecuted hundreds of federal felony offenses. As a former supervisor of violent crimes in the U.S. Attorney�s Office, Mark focused on federal firearms laws, robberies and narcotics offenses. As supervisor of criminal appeals, Mark not only oversaw the appellate work of other attorneys, but also personally handled over 30 criminal appeals in the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Massachusetts.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney�s Office, Mark was a homicide prosecutor in the New Hampshire Attorney General�s Office from 1988 to 1991. Mark prosecuted many murder cases and represented the State before the New Hampshire Supreme Court in over 25 criminal appeals. From 1991 and 1998, Mark practiced as a civil trial attorney with the Manchester law firm of Merrill & Broderick (and its successor firms), where he tried such diverse matters as multi-million dollar asbestos property damage cases, legal and other professional liability matters, commercial disputes, and personal injury claims.
Mark has been a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association since 1987, and served as Chair of the Ethics Committee from 1993 to 1997. In 1997, Mark was awarded the New Hampshire Bar Foundation�s Robert E. Kirby Award, which is presented to a New Hampshire lawyer under the age of 35 who exhibits outstanding professionalism, diligence, competence and perspective.
In addition to his trial practice, Mark served from 1994 to 2002 as an adjunct professor law at the Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire, where he taught criminal law and courses in professional ethics and federal court jurisdiction. Mark lectures frequently on criminal competency and insanity issues, as well as federal sentencing, at the Pierce Law Center and at the Vermont Law School. In 2002, Mark was invited to lecture at the University of Wales at Aberystwyth in the United Kingdom.
Merrill & Broderick - as in (now former) Governor Steven Merrill and Chief Judge New Hampshire Supreme Court John Broderick.
Mark Howard sure does not suck on paper.
While I have no personal experience with him as an attorney, I would be willing to bet next months mortgage payment that he doesn't suck in Court either.
Mark Howard's appointment is as a private attorney being paid for by the Federal Court at very reduced rates. There is only one Federal Public Defender's Office in New Hampshire, so in any case with more than one defendant (or where a witness was previously represented by the PD), the Court must assign outside counsel.
Way back in the day (before they had any quality control over who was on the Court appointed list), I handled a couple of drug cases and even one tax case (
second violation of supervised release, a truly hilarious case). The Court decided to require some standards for being on the Court appointed list, so I did not remain on the list. Besides, criminal defendants (at least all of the ones I dealt with) whine like crazy. I hate whining. Really hate it.
Client: [whine] Why do I have to go to jail? It's not fair! [\whine]
Me: Because you sold crack to an undercover police officer while he was wearing a wire. If you did not sell crack to police officers, you would not be going to jail.
(True story, except my answer was a little more measured).
The language:
2. Circumstances have developed in the course of the representation that have caused an irremediable breakdown in the attorney client relationship which prevent undersigned counsel from providing effective assistance of counsel. In addition, the defendant has instructed undersigned counsel to file this withdrawal.
is of course standard code for either "my client insists upon a course of action which I cannot take under the rules of professional conduct" or "My client is such an ass that I cannot deal with him any more."
If Mark Howard thought that Dan Riley needed a competency evaluation, he would have requested one. Riley is not insane, he is an ass.
