Paul S. Crawford

Paul really impressed me during consultation. He came off as quick and very knowledgeable in the area of law I had been mired in. It was an OWI case where I was passed out in a parking lot. He was going to argue that nobody saw me drive, there was an issue with the blood draw that he claimed made it... inadmissible, he was going to contact the people who called me in and find out if there's video, and argue some other charges/things that I have since forgotten. He advised we set it for trial to which I agreed. This is a shrewd move, for many reasons, but the most important one for me was it puts pressure on the District Attorney (which MAY translate into a better plea deal). I went back to my cell hopeful, thinking if anyone can barter down the time it would be Paul Crawford. The months limped on with nothing from him until we reached my sentencing date. Right before I was transferred back to WCJ he scheduled a call which I went to with my notepad. Eager, I had written some questions for him, and obviously expected to hear an update. Paul told me the plea deal the DA offered was actually just the maximum under sentencing guidelines. With a chuckle, he says "the only way to get MORE time would be to plead guilty to additional charges!" I do not find this humorous. At this point I felt that falling, sinking feeling you get in your gut when the world is pulled out from under you. That statement alone answered all the questions I had, and I went back to my cell feeling betrayed. As I sat in court with my orange jail attire and 20 pounds of chains Paul leaned in, proud, to tell me he managed to convince the DA to stay silent when the Judge asks about the time. Instead of a number the DA asks for "substantial prison time", which is court room parlance for the top end of the guidelines, and is basically the same as saying a number. The Judge ruminates for what feels like forever, and then leaves for another age. I am his first case since becoming a judge and he is evidently ill-prepared. When he returns he sentences me to 6.5 years. 2 and a half in prison, 4 on supervision. To be fair, Public Defenders have heavy caseloads and I can understand the logic behind not putting the effort into my case. I was revoked already, so even if he got the case thrown out I would still be in prison. Isn't that magical? To his credit, my sentence ran concurrent which is perhaps the most important aspect to negotiate, short of getting the case dropped entirely. That, and he got my judge changed from one notorious for being heavy-handed with sentences. This, however, worked both for and against me. Being the Judges first case meant being set as a precedent in a way, making it more likely to get a stiffer sentence. The reason for the one star review is because he didn't do what he said he was going to do. He didn't even call my people for character letters. Which he ASKED for. Not that it would have helped. What I think it comes down to is he gave the DA an easy conviction in order to curry favor, so that one day, down the line, he might have a string to pull.