When Backed Into a Corner, a Person's True Character Shines Through.
The first time I ever talked to Mr. Garcia, I was immediately scared of him. I had never been in trouble before, and I had a lot of questions. He told me to basically shut up, and that nothing was going to happen by continuing to call him when nothing was going on. And he was right. Jaime never led m...e down a wrong path, never built up unrealistic expectations. Many times people would ask me "What did your attorney say about the case? How confident is he that he's going to win?" These were never the types of questions Jaime answered. He never said anything along the lines of "We have about a 50% chance of winning." To Jaime, the most important thing is that the client knows and is involved in the legal process. He told me point blank that at most, if I was convicted, I would be looking at 80 years in prison. No one wants to hear that; all someone wants to hear is how they're going to get out of it and how their attorney is going to win. That's exactly the type of attorney Jaime is. He is a monster. He is ruthless when pressured, and will stop at nothing to give you the best form of legal representation. 80 years to anyone looks like a daunting task. To Jaime, it's nothing more than a challenge that he knows he can overcome. In our unique situation, the Judge that presided over our case only gave us 3 weeks to prepare for our trial. The judge went against a deal that Jaime and the prosecutor had made concerning this case and another one I am facing, and told Jaime point blank that he had 3 weeks to do what most attorneys take months to do. We were speechless. Jaime included. But after our momentary lapse, Jaime picked himself up and nothing was stopping him. Immediately depositions were filed, schedules were changed. Days were planned out where nothing but my case would be on his desk, his sole focus for winning. And through it all, Jaime continued to be a human, apologizing again and again for things that were out of his realm of apology. He had no reason to apologize for the Judge's misconduct, but he did anyway, as he saw the strain it put onto me and my family. But that's just the type of person Jaime is. He doesn't see the client as a criminal; he's sees them as a person he can relate to, someone who is scared and unsure of how to traverse the legal grounds, who need his guidance and nurturing care to help them get the best result. And that's just what he did. In a little over a week, Jaime had crafted a well supported defense, backed by the law enforcement misconduct and preferential treatment that my case saw. He would email us quickly without a moment's notice, asking us a small but useful question to add to his ever growing defense. His defense grew so strong in fact, that the State began to waver. From a 10 year prison deal, they went down to probation. "No way" I told Jaime. "I want withheld adjudication." He did what he always did, informed me about the law. He told me that the only way he get that was if the prosecutor was going to give it to him. It was out of his hands. Or so I was led to believe. Later that night I get an urgent call from him. "The State wants an answer now. 5 years sex offender probation. 5 years regular probation. Terminate after 7 years. Withheld adjudication." Everything I had asked for. Done. Done by a miracle worker. From 80 years, to 10. to simple probation with no criminal record attached once the probation was done, Jaime Garcia did something that people only read about in mythology. In under 10 days, Jaime crafted, pressured, and won my case exactly the way I wanted it. Without going into depositions, without deposing anyone, he did what no one else could do. He won based off his character.
The State may think they won this battle. I did take their plea deal. But given the circumstances, the real winner was myself, and Jaime. He has always been there for me, as my attorney, a friend, and in some ways a brother. Call this man, and make him a part of your family. Thank you Jaime.