Crime, Cartels and the Courts with Attorney Victor Sherman

We talk about cases in the news (Jodi Arias and OJ), plus larger legal issues involving the drug war and capital punishment with defense attorney Victor Sherman. He explains the incentive to plead out of court, the process of arguing for the life of a client in death penalty cases, and the different tactics used in defending large drug "organizations" on Crime Time.


GUEST BIO:
Victor Sherman founded Sherman&Sherman along with Janet Sherman in 1984. Prior to Sherman&Sherman, Mr. Sherman practiced criminal law with Michael Nasatir and Richard Hirsch under the firm name of Nasatir, Sherman&Hirsch, which was incorporated in 1969.
Mr. Sherman has tried hundreds of cases in both federal and state courts, defending clients in cases ranging from business fraud to drug offenses, tax crimes, securities fraud, money laundering, public corruption, customs violations and racketeering, as well as misdemeanor and felony offenses and crimes of violence such as murder, sexual assaults and arson. In 1999, he represented the lead defendant in the largest money-laundering case in United States history. His clients have been as varied as a "Watergate" defendant and a defendant charged with the largest bank heist in the nation. Mr. Sherman has argued before the United States Supreme Court (United States v. $8,850) and Courts of Appeal in many federal circuits. Mr. Sherman was a national commentator during the O.J. Simpson murder trial, and is currently challenging the secret and indiscriminate wiretapping of over 100,000 California residents conducted by Los Angeles County District Attorney and law enforcement agencies in Southern California over the past decade.
Mr. Sherman conceived of and began sponsoring the Aspen Advanced Criminal Law Seminar in 1980 in order to create an environment for defense attorneys to share their common experiences in a setting sure to inspire maximum learning and congeniality. Since 1997, the seminar has been co-sponsored by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Mr. Sherman has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in Southern California, 2009 Edition, which was published as a supplement by the Los Angeles Times in its December, 2008 edition of the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Mr. Sherman received his B.S. in Business from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1962 and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall School of Law), in 1965. Mr. Sherman can be seen regularly on MSNBC and other various media outlets providing legal commentary on today's hottest cases.

ADD'L LINKS:
http://www.shermanshermanlaw.com/
Crime Time Full Episode Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMGVXPETFyg&list=PLjk3H0GXhhGfIvJXM3emqDXkZ02SXgfgT&index=1
Crime Time Shorts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaL2KaGkqt8&list=

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
00:01 Coming up on Crime Time.
01:52 Welcoming Victor Sherman.
03:30 Mitigating the punishment in death penalty cases-a drive-by shooter.
07:30 The death penalty state to state.
10:40 Responding to the OJ Simpson sentencing.
15:01 Legalization of Marijuana and the law.
17:03 Right to trial in the Federal Courts.
22:49 Being a defense lawyer is, "like a gunslinger."
28:20 Presenting defendants reasonably, and having to choose tactics.