Jake Erlich: Great Criminal Lawyer

I believe a criminal lawyer can always increase his or her skills by reading about the great criminal lawyers of the past. One of the great criminal lawyers a lawyer should study is Jake Ehrlich who was known as one of the most successful criminal lawyers in from the last century. Ehrlich practiced in California in the 1920s to the early 1960’s.

Erlich first big victory came in the Alexander Pantages case in which he assisted the legendary Gerry Giesler. By 1955 Ehrlich had defended 55 first degree murder cases without a single first degree conviction. He never lost a client to the executioner. Forty-one of the cases were outright acquittals.

Erlich success was due to relentless preparation. A trait shared among all great trial lawyers. Erlich was also known as a top legal scholar who knew more about the law than any other attorney in California.

To read more about Jake Erlich I would find his biography, Never Plead Guilty: The Story of Jake Erlich, by John Noble.