Stephen Miles, criminal defense attorney, and part-time Santa Barbara resident spoke with Mark about his legal career in Baltimore, his other home. Steve has an interesting background that started with an early exposure to a family-owned business, which colored his approach to running his practice. You’ve probably not had an extended conversation with a defense attorney who can help us all understand some of the nuances of this challenging profession.
This wide-ranging conversation covered a lot of ground including:
How the first experience in retail taught him lessons that served him his whole life
Why he likes criminal defense as a focus
Why others like the law – it’s about doing good for the world
How LA Law (TV series from 20 years ago) drove signups for law school
How you deal with surprises in the courtroom – with some good examples
“Are juries smarter now than back in the day?”
What is a jury of your peers?
Stephen has 1000’s stories, all fascinating. We’ve had the good fortune to know him for a couple of years now and look forward to our weekly coffee conversations. He’s always up for a cup of coffee and a great conversation and loves meeting new people. His time in Santa Barbara is spent keeping up with a variety of different social circles.