Public defenders prevail in right to counsel cases 
Published: December 20, 2012
Tags: Emmett D. Queener, Lawyers of the Year, Lawyers of the Year 2012, public defenders, right to counsel, U.S. Supreme Court, Valerie R. Newman
In March of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court extended the right to effective counsel to the plea stage of criminal proceedings in a pair of cases, Lafler v. Cooper and Missouri v. Frye.
In both cases, appellate public defenders argued on behalf of their clients before the highest court in the land for the first time in their careers – and won.
