David Rudolf: American Injustice, The Staircase & Defending Empathy

Helping us get set for sentencing is David Rudolf — attorney, author, and lead counsel in the acclaimed Netflix documentary, “The Staircase“, which is now a controversial HBO mini-series.

Mr. Rudolf has been on the front lines of justice for decades as one of the nation’s preeminent trial lawyers. He has dedicated his life to giving voice and vindication to a special class of victims in our system — those convicted and sentenced for crimes they did not commit.

He recently published a riveting look at our dysfunctional system, American Injustice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System.

In this whirlwind discussion, we cover:

Rudolf’s new Book, American Injustice;
The Staircase documentary and the new, highly fictionalized HBO miniseries;
Draconian sentencing statutes and guidelines;
How confirmation bias and tunnel vision can corrupt every aspect of the criminal justice process;
The need for accountability for prosecutors and police when the innocent are wrongfully convicted;
How becoming a client made him a better lawyer;
Advice for criminal defense lawyers struggling with work life balance;
The coercive nature of plea bargaining;
How to handle sentencing when your client maintains innocence;
AND, the very best ways to inject humanity back into our broken system;

Oh, yes, for all you diehard Staircase fans, we do discuss “the owl theory”!