Gary G. Becker

Gary Becker represented my sibling some years ago during what was one of the most devastating times in my family’s life. The charges stemmed from an incident that began as a 911 call to get help for a mental health emergency, but quickly turned into a nightmare of police brutality and criminal charge...s. Through recommendations of family friends, we went through several lawyers who all seemed unwilling to fight charges that involved “assault” of a police officer, or were unconfident in their ability to win. We were frustrated, and thought that because it was so obvious what a miscarriage of justice this whole thing was that any reasonable prosecutor or judge would immediately toss the case. But when the charges were not immediately thrown out – worse – the police tacked on additional ones and the judge set a date for an initial hearing, the situation became more and more terrifying and we felt increasingly helpless.  That’s when we were fortunate enough to be referred to Gary Becker, through a friend of a friend (both of whom were lawyers and swore if anyone would be able to help – it was him). Gary Becker lived up to expectations. He was professional, incredibly sharp, and empathetic to our situation. He gave us hope – not by making promises about the outcome – but by demonstrating his capabilities beginning with our very first meeting. Gary had done his research in advance and understood what we were up against. He had dug into the minute details of the case, done his homework on the officers involved, the court we’d be in, and had a game-plan for how to proceed. After months of feeling totally lost and not knowing what the hell was going on, we finally felt like somebody cared and knew what to do. Gary Becker’s performance in the actual courtroom, in my opinion, was nothing short of brilliant. We were in a small-town court where everyone knew everyone (except for us and Gary), and the police officer involved had just testified – lying through his teeth, but nonetheless testified -  of the heinous and dangerous nature of the assault against him. He was there to object to any plea bargain, or any lessening of the charges. The situation was not good, but Gary got up and gave such an emotional and logical argument that the judge ruled in our favor. I can’t imagine this happens regularly – where a judge overtly goes against the main cop in town in a packed courtroom – and I can’t imagine it would have happened if we had almost any other attorney. Beyond just his courtroom performance, Gary managed to connect with the Judge, Prosecutor, and Probation Officers both before and after the hearing. He had great intuitions, was extremely perceptive, and knew how to make the right people like him, and by extension - us. This was critical down the line because without the relationship he created with the probation office, our life would likely have continued to be a nightmare. The probation officer liked Gary, and more importantly, believed his argument in court and as a result was exceptionally kind to my family. He took into account the nature of the case, the mental health concerns, and I am guessing he understood that if he wanted to –  he could have gone about things so that my sibling would have been right back in court with more charges. It is difficult to articulate in words what it feels like to worry about your loved one’s freedom. Likewise, it’s difficult to explain the gratitude and appreciation I have for Gary Becker and his abilities. At the end of the day, if Gary takes on your case, I believe you’ll have the best shot of winning. Pleasantries and promises don’t keep you or a loved one from prison. Smart and strategic lawyering does. I say this because although Gary can blunt at times, I felt it was because he’s focused on winning your case and not making a new friend. That said, I’ve been in touch with Gary regularly, and do consider him a friend, even though the case was resolved 3-4 years ago.