Ep. 2: David Rudolf: American Injustice, the Staircase, & Defending Empathy

Helping us get set for sentencing is David Rudolf -- attorney, author, and lead counsel in the acclaimed Netflix documentary, “The Staircase”, which is now a controversial HBO mini-series.

Mr. Rudolf has been on the front lines of justice for decades as one of the nation’s preeminent trial lawyers.  He has dedicated his life to giving voice and vindication to a special class of victims in our system -- those convicted and sentenced for crimes they did not commit.

He recently published a riveting look at our dysfunctional system, American Injustice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System.

In this whirlwind discussion, we cover:

-Rudolf's new Book, American Injustice;
-The Staircase documentary and the new,  highly fictionalized HBO miniseries;
-Draconian sentencing statutes and guidelines;
-How confirmation bias and tunnel vision can corrupt every aspect of the criminal justice process;
-The need for accountability for  prosecutors and police when the innocent are wrongfully convicted;
-How becoming a client made him a more empathetic lawyer;
-Advice for criminal defense lawyers struggling with work life balance;
-The coercive nature of plea bargaining;
-How to handle sentencing when your client maintains innocence;
-AND, the very best ways to inject humanity back into our broken system;

Oh, yes, for all you diehard Staircase fans, we do discuss "the owl theory"!

LINKS:

David Rudolf's Website: https://davidsrudolf.com/

Abuse of Power Podcast: 

https://www.audible.com/pd/Abuse-of-P...

Incredible 3-hour CLE offering on the Staircase:

https://www.nacdl.org/Event/The-Stair...

https://vimeo.com/332364136  (staircase CLE teaser)

HBO Rebuttals:

https://www-newsweek-com.cdn.ampproje...

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/stai...

the owl theory:

https://amp-charlotteobserver-com.cdn...

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