THE ROBING ROOM

I just came back from an appearance where she breathed new life into a rapidly deteriorating criminal matter. The client wanted to withdraw his guilty plea and go from the frying pan into the fire and Judge Irizarry spent an hour patiently listening to the client's (the defendant) proffered reasons for withdrawal of his earlier lawfully entered guilty plea. Her calm demeanor, understanding and patience paid off and defendant withdrew his plea withdrawal motion, quite probably saving him from at least a twenty-year sentence. It was heartening to see a federal judge take the time to assist this very marginal client and using her skills in preventing his throwing his life away due to his reflexive (and vocal) gripes about a hard-won plea agreement that admittedly required a lengthy custodial term. I went in expecting a difficult and unhappy experience and she truly turned a sow's ear into a silk purse.