I was the first person in my family in more than seven generations to attend college. I grew up poor and very disadvantaged but with a deep sense of how fortunate I was. I attended public schools throughout my education, including law school, and developed an appreciation of how unfair our society, and particularly the criminal justice system, could be for people who were poor, uneducated, or who looked differently and the degree of injustice seemed to directly correspond to the seriousness of the offense and the accused's disadvantages. For most of my career I worked representing indigent defendants - including approximately 150 who were facing the death penalty - in the same zealous and aggressive way that people with means expect from our system. I continue to approach each of my client's as individuals in need of my help, and their cases as the most important and honorable way to utilize my skills and experience. You should expect nothing less.