Norm Pattis

Norm Pattis is a criminal defense attorney and civil rights lawyer in Bethany. Most days he blogs at www.pattisblog.com.

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When Defendants Take Control Of Cases

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Friday, March 15, 2013 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune

A doctor on trial for killing a client wants to get all the experts he needs to prove whatever is on his mind. He has a right to defend himself at public expense. He now demands that the public fund exploration of his theories of the case, too.

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An Ode To Ody; And His Sister, Penny

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Monday, March 11, 2013 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune

Little did I know when I signed onto to be a member of Ody's and Penny's pack that they'd soon enough teach me to age. These dogs are a gift from God, I say ? and I am an agnostic. They teach me gratitude, and counsel contentment in small things.

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A Panther's Story Provides Inspiration

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Friday, March 1, 2013 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune

I've spent the past week in Seattle, visiting two of my kids who live out here. We flew our third, who lives in New York City, out to meet us. It's been a laid back kind of week. If I was forced to live in a city, I'd want to live here.

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'Unfair' Immunity Rules Undermine Defense

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Friday, February 22, 2013 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune

I will never understand why the government gets the right to grant immunity to the witnesses of its choice, but then cannot be compelled to grant immunity to the defense's witness when those witnesses get cold feet and decide to assert their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

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Scheduling Headaches Can Be Cured

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Friday, February 15, 2013 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune

We talk a lot about civility among members of the bar. The conversation is almost always directed toward lawyers. We give judges a free ride, somehow. Why? Since when did the use of judicial discretion become a license to sin without need of confession?

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Disarming The Arguments Of Gun Advocates

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Friday, February 8, 2013 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune

A good friend of mine can't needle me enough about my outspoken support of gun control. He's a criminal defense lawyer, so he likes to stand tall for the defense of the rights of ordinary people. The very idea that someone could take his guns enrages him. He marshals all sorts of arguments in support of the right to bear arms. All are foolish.

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'Screwy' Talking Heads And The NRA's Bluster

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Friday, February 1, 2013 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune

One of the down-sides of practicing law is having little time to do such things as watch television. Without a steady diet of the flickering screen, a certain sense of cultural illiteracy grows. So when I found myself in a hotel the other day, I turned on the tube. Wow.

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New Challenges And Old Friends

Friday, January 25, 2013 | by Norm Pattis | The Connecticut Law Tribune

I went ahead and got myself admitted to practice law in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. I was looking for new challenges. My primary interest is in criminal cases, and I've got a doozy -- more defendants that you can easily shake a stick at, all charged with defrauding insurance companies. A parallel piece of litigation is a civil action arising out of claims related to the criminal case.