Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C.

08/23/2021

We are proud to announce that Attorney Brett Knight and Michael Whisonant have been named in the ‘Second Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch’ for the second year in a row! This award is reserved for up-and-coming attorneys who showcase professional excellence in their private practice. To learn more about Attorney Knight and Whisonant, please visit their team page below. https://www.rjaffelaw.com/attorneys/

We are proud to announce that Attorney Brett Knight and Michael Whisonant have been named in the ‘Second Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch’ for the second year in a row! This award is reserved for up-and-coming attorneys who showcase professional excellence in their private practice. To learn more about Attorney Knight and Whisonant, please visit their team page below. https://www.rjaffelaw.com/attorneys/

07/30/2021

Jefferson County Courthouse New Mask Mandate

ATTENTION: Jefferson County Courthouse issued an administrative order yesterday, requiring all individuals to wear a mask in the courthouses until November 1. This mandate includes both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. To read the order in its entirety, please visit our site here. https://www.rjaffelaw.com/articles/2021/july/jefferson-county-courthouse-new-mask-mandate/

Visit our site to learn more about the Jefferson County new mask mandate.

07/29/2021

1996 Olympics bombing: A mistaken trip to Birmingham solved the 1996 Atlanta bombings

Attorney Richard Jaffe speaks with Fox 46 Charlotte on his past client, Eric Rudolph. Rudolph was once on America’s 10 Most Wanted list for the 1996 Olympic bombing which injured more than 100 people and killing two. To learn more about the case and Jaffe’s insight on Rudolph, please find the link below.

MURPHY, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) — Jeffrey Postell was heading down Andrews Road. He was on the hunt. It was just before 3:27 a.m. when Postell flicked the turn signal and his Ford wobbled acr…

05/24/2021

Alabama baby reported missing by father killed by blunt force trauma, court docs show

Attorney Richard Jaffe spoke to WVTM 13 on May 14, 2021, about the tragic case involving the death of a five-week-old boy in rural Alabama. Read our blog for more information about the case. https://www.rjaffelaw.com/articles/2021/may/attorney-jaffe-discusses-capital-murder-case-wit/

A 5-week-old boy who was found dead in rural Alabama after his parents reported him missing in Montgomery was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, according to court documents.

05/24/2021

Attorney Richard Jaffe and Michael Whisonant join Bill Athanas in the writing of the article, “Formulating and Presenting Effective Sentencing Arguments When Representing Cooperators”. Published in the NACDL, the article “seeks to reorient defense counsel operating in what can seem like an inverted environment”. Check it out now!https://www.rjaffelaw.com/images/Final-April-2021-THE-CHAMPION-MAGAZINE.pdf

05/19/2021

Spectrum Originals Presents "Hunted" - Episode 6

Featured in the Spectrum Originals "Hunted" - Episode 6, attorney Richard S. Jaffe provides his commentary on the case. Click the link to watch the clip!

Episode 6: Life Sentence. After his capture by a rookie cop, Eric claimed he committed the bombings to stop abortion, but experts say otherwise.In this origi...

05/07/2021

Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin Pardons Misdemeanor Ma*****na Possession Convictions

Attorney Michael Hanle has written an article for Ma*****na and The Law, on the recent pardon by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. This pardon will affect all individuals who were convicted of Unlawful Possession of Ma*****na in the Second Degree between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2020. To read more about this pardon, click the link below:

On April 20, 2020, Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin announced his office would be issuing pardons for individuals previously convicted of Unlawful Possession of Ma*****na in the Second Degree. These pardons will affect all individuals who were convicted between January 1, 1990 and December....

04/26/2021

Congratulations to Attorney Richard Jaffe for being selected for Birmingham Business Journal's Best of the Bar Awards of 2021! To read more about this, check out this link: https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2021/04/15/bbj-best-of-the-bar-2021.html

Congratulations to Attorney Richard Jaffe for being selected for Birmingham Business Journal's Best of the Bar Awards of 2021! To read more about this, check out this link: https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2021/04/15/bbj-best-of-the-bar-2021.html

04/15/2021

Bo Cochran spent 19 years extolling his innocence & seeking freedom. In Bo's third trial in 1997, Richard Jaffe and his team were finally able to secure Bo's freedom.

Read about Bo’s story in Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned 2nd Ed.: http://questforjusticethebook.com

Bo Cochran spent 19 years extolling his innocence & seeking freedom. In Bo's third trial in 1997, Richard Jaffe and his team were finally able to secure Bo's freedom.

Read about Bo’s story in Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned 2nd Ed.: http://questforjusticethebook.com

03/30/2021

Congratulations to Attorney Richard Jaffe who was awarded by Best Lawyers in two categories of Criminal Defense! His excellence in General Practice and White Collar cases has earned him the distinction of these awards. We thank you for your dedication to our clients!

Congratulations to Attorney Richard Jaffe who was awarded by Best Lawyers in two categories of Criminal Defense! His excellence in General Practice and White Collar cases has earned him the distinction of these awards. We thank you for your dedication to our clients!

03/12/2021

Last Friday, we celebrated Richard Jaffe’s birthday and McKenzie Meade’s last day with the firm. McKenzie has been a pleasure to work with and we wish nothing but the best for her in the future! Happy Birthday, Richard!

Last Friday, we celebrated Richard Jaffe’s birthday and McKenzie Meade’s last day with the firm. McKenzie has been a pleasure to work with and we wish nothing but the best for her in the future! Happy Birthday, Richard!

01/15/2021

Attorney Richard S. Jaffe is prepping for his talks at the ACDLA Loosening the Death Belt 2021 Seminar. He will be giving two presentations tomorrow – “Trying The Case With Your Heart: Making The Jury Care” and “Preparing the Client and Yourself for the Good, the Bad and the Unfathomable” along with death row exoneree Randal Padgett.

Learn more about this seminar here: https://acdla.org/meetinginfo.php?id=101

Attorney Richard S. Jaffe is prepping for his talks at the ACDLA Loosening the Death Belt 2021 Seminar. He will be giving two presentations tomorrow – “Trying The Case With Your Heart: Making The Jury Care” and “Preparing the Client and Yourself for the Good, the Bad and the Unfathomable” along with death row exoneree Randal Padgett.

Learn more about this seminar here: https://acdla.org/meetinginfo.php?id=101

01/06/2021

2021 Death Penalty Seminar

JHWK is excited to share that Attorney Richard S. Jaffe will be one of the featured speakers in the upcoming ACDLA Loosening the Death Belt 2021 Seminar. This seminar features some of the top criminal defense attorneys in the U.S. describing the life or death issues of capital casework. Mr. Jaffe will give two presentations on Saturday, January 16th – “Trying The Case With Your Heart: Making The Jury Care” and “Preparing the client and yourself for the good, the bad and the unfathomable” along with death row exoneree Randal Padgett.

Learn more about this seminar here: https://acdla.org/meetinginfo.php?id=101

2021 Death Penalty Seminar

12/29/2020

NACDL - Preparing Your Client and Yourself for the Good, the Bad and the Unfathomable [Engage & Exchange]

Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C. is thrilled to announce that Richard S. Jaffe, author of Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned (2nd Edition, 2020), will be kicking off the 2021 NACDL Engage & Exchange Series on Wednesday, January 6th. Attorney Jaffe will be joined by Special Guest Randal Padgett, Death Row Exoneree, to discuss “Preparing Your Client and Yourself for the Good, the Bad and the Unfathomable.”

NACDL members can register for this event here:

Preparing Your Client and Yourself for the Good, the Bad and the UnfathomablewithRichard S. Jaffe& Special Guest Randal Padgett, Death Row Exoneree. Mr. Jaffe is the author ofQuest for Justice: Defending the Damned (2nd Ed.), published by NACDLPress.;

12/11/2020

Top Rated Birmingham, AL White Collar Crimes Attorney | Richard Jaffe | Super Lawyers

In addition to his selection as a Super Lawyer in White Collar Defense, Richard Jaffe, Senior Partner at Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C., was recognized as one of the Top 50 Criminal Defense Lawyers in Alabama in 2020. This is a distinction he has earned consistently since 2012 and this was also the third time he has been recognized as lawyer of the year in Criminal Defense in Alabama!

Richard Jaffe is one of the top rated White Collar Crimes attorneys in Birmingham, AL. He has met the stringent Super Lawyers selection criteria.

12/08/2020

Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C. is pleased to announce that four of our attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers this year! Senior Partner Richard S. Jaffe was selected as a Super Lawyer in White Collar Defense and Michael P. Hanle was selected as a Super Lawyer in Criminal Defense. In addition, Attorneys Michael W. Whisonant Jr. and Brett H. Knight were both recognized as Rising Stars. We are so proud of all of our Partners for earning these designations for excellence in their field!

09/16/2020

Richard S. Jaffe was featured on a recent Case Analysis webinar on Criminal Defense alongside David Ball. The webinar combined Attorney Jaffe’s career of winning the most difficult kinds of criminal trials with David Ball’s evidence-based research and interviews with jury-eligible citizens. Among other topics, they discussed how most lawyers sabotage themselves, and how to make the best possible use of reasonable doubt.

08/28/2020

Case Results | Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C.

Michael Hanle and Jonathan Brown of Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C. recently tried a pair of Assault 3rd cases in Birmingham Municipal Court before a specially appointed judge. Prior to beginning trial, Michael Hanle argued a “stand your ground” hearing to the Court. Although the “stand your ground” hearing was ultimately denied by the Court, both clients were found not guilty as a result of the aggressive cross-examination of the alleged victim and his witnesses.

Case Results. If you need help with a legal case, call our team at Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C..

08/26/2020

NACDL - 2020 Making the Case for Life Seminar - Virtual Event

This weekend is NACDL's 22nd Annual Making the Case for Life Seminar. This virtual event features powerful and practical presentations, including “Trying the Case With Your Heart: Making the Jury Care” presented by Richard Jaffe. If you are a capital defender, investigator, or mitigation specialist that is handling or may handle a case in which your client is facing the death penalty, then this would prove a very valuable virtual program for you.

"Investigation, Voir Dire, and Mitigation in Capital Cases" LOCATION: To be held Virtually Online DATES:August 27-28, 2020;

08/25/2020

Congratulations to Attorney Michael Patrick Hanle, Partner at Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C., who was recognized for his excellence in Criminal Defense in the 27th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer review publication in the legal profession, and we are proud to announce that Attorney Hanle has been awarded this distinction 10 years in a row!

08/25/2020

Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom - Randal Padgett

Last week, Attorney Richard S. Jaffe was a guest on the Wrongful Conviction Podcast with Jason Flom. This episode featured Randal Padgett, one of Mr. Jaffe’s former death row inmates who was wrongfully convicted for the murder and r**e of his wife. Listen to the full episode to learn more about this shocking case:

S11E14: Randal Padgett At the tail end of the 1980’s, Randal Padgett was living an idyllic rural life of farm and family, when admittedly he made his biggest ...

08/21/2020

Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C. is proud to announce that Attorneys Michael W. Whisonant Jr. and Brett H. Knight were both awarded Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. Using the same exhaustive peer review methodology that Best Lawyers has utilized for almost 40 years, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognizes attorneys who have been in private practice for less than 10 years and demonstrate outstanding professional excellence.

08/21/2020

Congratulations to Richard Jaffe, Senior Partner at Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C., for his inclusion in the 27th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This year, Attorney Jaffe was recognized for his professional excellence in both General Criminal Defense and White-Collar Criminal Defense. This distinction is awarded to less than 5% of all practicing lawyers nationwide after a rigorous peer-review selection process and Attorney Jaffe has been included every year since 2007.

07/31/2020

NACDL - Book Review: Quest for Justice by Richard Jaffe

The NACDL recently reviewed Attorney Richard S. Jaffe's second edition of Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned. In her review, Elizabeth Kelley – an NACDL Member with a nationwide practice specializing in representing people with mental disabilities – stated that it "is one of those books that makes you proud to be a criminal defense lawyer."

Read the full article:

This month Elizabeth Kelley reviews Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned – 2d ed. by Richard S. Jaffe.;

07/23/2020

NACDL - Book Review: Quest for Justice by Richard Jaffe

“Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned is one of those books that makes you proud to be a criminal defense lawyer. It should occupy a place of honor on your bookshelf alongside Sister Helen Prejean’s two books The Death of Innocents and Dead Man Walking as well as Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy.”

Read the NACDL’s full review of Attorney Richard S. Jaffe's book, Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned (2nd ed.):

This month Elizabeth Kelley reviews Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned – 2d ed. by Richard S. Jaffe.;

07/21/2020

3 Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Birmingham, AL - Expert Recommendations

Michael Patrick Hanle has recently been recognized as one of the top criminal defense lawyers in Birmingham, AL. Michael Hanle operated a very successful solo practice from 1996 to 2015 before joining Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight. Hanle is an experienced and professional litigator and an educated lawyer, providing extensive legal help to the accused and convicted in federal, state, and local courts throughout Alabama. Currently a partner at the criminal defense firm of Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C., who are known for their aggressive pre-trial legal tactics, Hanle has been recognized for his dedication to seeking positive outcomes for his clients’ challenging legal problems. Congratulations, Michael!

Expert recommended Top 3 Criminal Defense Lawyers in Birmingham, AL. How do we actually find? ThreeBestRated.com 50-Point Inspection includes everything from checking reputation, history, complaints, reviews, ratings, satisfaction, trust and cost to the general excellence.

05/18/2020

Endorsements — Quest for Justice

Endorsements — Quest for Justice

Richard S. Jaffe’s second edition of Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned, published by NACDLPress, offers a compelling journey into the legal and human drama of life or death criminal cases.

04/07/2020

Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned

Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned

The 2nd Edition of #QuestforJustice by Richard S. Jaffe is available to order! Get your copy here:

03/21/2020

03/20/2020

Phone Consultations and Video Teleconferencing Available! ☎️ 205-900-7714

02/13/2020

“Just Mercy” Highlights Injustices Plaguing Our Death Penalty

"Just Mercy" reminds us that problems that plagued Alabama's criminal justice system in the 1990s, specifically surrounding the death penalty, are still present in today's age. Attorney Richard S. Jaffe outlines the relevancy of this film starring Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan in his recent article on AL.com. Read our blog for more.

"Just Mercy" reminds us that problems that plagued Alabama's criminal justice system in the 1990s, specifically surrounding the death penalty, are still present in today's age. Attorney Richard S. Jaffe outlines the relevancy of this film starring Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan in his recent artic...

02/10/2020

UPDATE: Trussville Cracker Barrel parking lot shooting trial continued

Attorney Richard S. Jaffe said his client had no intention of harming anyone. Trial is set to continue August 24, 2020. Hancock is currently awaiting trial in Jefferson County Jail.

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports TRUSSVILLE — The trial for a man accused in a deadly shooting has been continued until Aug. 24, 2020. Bryan Hancock, 22, is charged with capital murder in the