For those unfamiliar with the Zazi case here in Denver (until, that is, it gets transferred to New York City), Najibullah Zazi is a Denver area limo driver who is in the center of a FBI anti-terrorism investigation that broke wide open (and very publically) about a week ago. At the time, this blog posted a brief summary of the current state of the investigation. (http://denvercriminalblog.com/2009/09/19/denver-area-man-arrested-for-alleged-terrorism-ties/ and http://denvercriminalblog.com/2009/09/15/fbi-claims-denver-link-to-anti-terrorism-probe/)
Now, it has only been a week into the investigation and questions are already being raised about the conduct of Mr. Zazi’s attorney. While it may be poor form to criticize the conduct of another attorney, especially when I don’t have access to all the information about what has occurred, many questions have been raised about the attorney’s ability to handle such a complicated case. See, for example, Mike Littwin’s piece in the Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/littwin/ci_13398393?.
The cautionary point for you is that if you have been arrested, you need to be extra careful to make sure that your attorney actually handles (and has extensive experience) defending individuals charged with similar crimes. Certain criminal charges require specific and unique expertise. There is far too much at risk for you to take a chance with someone who lacks experience. The great news is that Colorado has numerous highly qualified criminal attorneys and you should consider shopping around for the best fit for you and your case.
Filed under: Criminal Cases, Criminal Defense
