NCAAbbs

Well, that didn't take very long now did it?



I wonder if he'll go to trial before 2010....or 2012?

Jon is still in my thoughts often--I was glad to see this.

Not to be crude, but I am pretty damn glad this is happening, finally.

Johnson's got a high-powered defense attorney. Dan Cogdell is one of the top dozen or so Houston area defense attorneys. Not quite DeGuerin or Hardin or Haynes (in his prime), but pretty close.

I was wondering why I saw Jon's picture in on local news as I was taking a nap in the Lovett servery yesterday afternoon. Couldn't hear the audio, but I was hoping this was the story...

I do not think the murder suspect ever attended A&M.
He is a townie instead of a gownie.

So is this going to bankrupt his family?

Quite possibly. I heard Cogdell say at a seminar once that the first thing he does upon meeting a prospective client is have his investigator determine the client's net worth. On the other hand, Dan's very good, so you have to ask yourself what's beating a murder rap worth? Robert Durst spent a couple million to beat his.

Criminal defense attorney fees would be an interesting economic study. They vary widely from client to client for each of the big guns, driven (I think) by the ability of the client to pay and the publicity value of the case. Dick DeGuerin didn't get much for defending Calvin Murphy (a win) and George Parnham didn't from Andrea Yates (a loss), but both got publicity you couldn't buy if you wanted to.

Cogdell has additional incentives to charge hefty fees. He has a number of ex-wives he's had to pay big bucks to, a least one of whom he met when she was dancing with very few clothes on (or so I've heard).

Because of Yates, Parnham got Clara Harris the Mad Mercedes driver.... and Parnham had to later sue Harris to get all that was owed him.

Optimistic Owl wrote:

I could be wrong, but I believe it was Rusty Hardin who defended Calvin Murphy.

Now that I think about it, you're probably right. Same idea applies, though Rusty doesn't need any more publicity. He's the top of the heap right now.

Hardin's clients have included, actually, Rice University (from a lawsuit protesting suspensions related to an out-of-hand lacrosse team party a few years back). At the Thresher we interviewed him a few times relating to the case, and he is a real larger-than-life figure. Example: his description of the lawsuit was that "it's like killing your parents and then complaining about being an orphan."

Defending the Osteen’s and totally demolishing the opposition’s attorney the way he did only elevated him more.

I can’t believe the Comical endorsed Reginald McKamie for Harris County DA back in ‘04,. Hardin took him to school.

Well, the standard for McKamie in '04 was "better than Chuck Rosenthal," which is a much lower bar than "better than Rusty Hardin." I didn't follow the Osteen trial that closely, but if the only witness McKamie could produce who could say Victoria assaulted the plaintiff was the plaintiff herself, he didn't have a prayer against any decent lawyer.

I thought the damage claim of 10% of Victoria's net worth was telling. Unless there are punitive damages involved, the defendant's net worth shouldn't enter into any damage calculation. It looked like a claim designed to force a settlement - "pay us or we'll reveal how rich you've gotten from your congregation."

"So is this going to bankrupt his family?"

I once heard a big defense lawyer tell how he set his fee. Think of the highest number you could ever charge, then multiply it by your social security number.

Meanwhile DeGuerin has been going in the other direction with numbers... He's been thinking small as he represents a flashing podiatrist (apparently that was not a toe the undercover cop saw):

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5954517.html