Episode 159 - Next Lawyer Podcast with Ron Sykstus featuring Richard Jaffe

It is not a stretch to say that attorney Richard Jaffe is at the top of the legal profession in the state of Alabama.  I say this somewhat objectively, given the fact that he has been consistently named as a top 50 lawyer in the State of Alabama for well over a decade by Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers has listed him Lawyer of the Year for Birmingham in either White -collar criminal law or criminal defense 4 times in recent years.  In fact, he was featured on the cover of the 2023 Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine and you can read that article here.  This quote pretty much sums up his 45 plus year career:  “A philosopher and a warrior.  Richard Jaffe helps people from being executed by the state.”  Richard’s book, “Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned”2 Ed is available at this link, and on Amazon .He is also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL). I learned on the podcast that Richard got his start through the help of correspondence he started with Alabama’s then up and coming Attorney General, Bill Baxley.  Also, during his career, he worked closely with former Alabama United States Senator Doug Jones as they taught each other state and federal legal practice.  It obviously worked out well for both of them!  It occurs to me that a lot of young lawyers just starting their legal careers can learn a lot from this episode with Richard as to how to have an enduring, impactful and satisfying career in the law.

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