Ryan Locke | Atlanta Criminal Lawyer

JW, a juvenile, was charged with aggravated child molestation and aggravated sodomy for sex acts with several young cousins. The charges were first filed in juvenile court, but several months into the proceedings the District Attorney decided that charges should be brought in the superior court through indictment. JW was a child with severe psychological problems-some stemming from physical and sexual abuse at the hands of his father-but he recognized his problems and was amenable to treatment. Because of these issues, he was in the custody of the Division of Family and Children Services, living at a residential treatment facility. The juvenile court prosecutor and I had agreed that the case would remain in abeyance while JW received treatment, so the District Attorney's decision to indict the case was unexpected. Fortunately, I was prepared. I had been amassing JW's records-generated from his eight years in DFCS custody; a dozen psychological, psychosexual, and competency evaluations; and seven acute psychiatric hospitalizations; together, they totaled thousands of pages-and because I had been reviewing and indexing them I was ready to argue that JW's case should remain in the juvenile court. I began negotiations with the Deputy District Attorney who would supervise JW's prosecution if his case were indicted; she is in charge of the sex crimes unit in superior court and reports directly to the District Attorney. I argued that JW was a victim of physical and sexual abuse from his father, that he had a long history of psychological problems, that he was receiving treatment that experts believed was effective, and that he had been adjudicated not competent to stand trial in a different jurisdiction in Georgia and was likely to be found not competent in Fulton County as well because he was borderline mentally retarded. Because of my extensive preparation, I had the documentation to back up my claims. I sent a letter to the Deputy District Attorney summarizing my arguments and enclosed the supporting records. I asked her to review what I'd sent and if she was convinced, to present my letter to the District Attorney and ask him to reconsider presenting the case to the grand jury. A few weeks later, the District Attorney notified me that he would not pursue and indictment against JW. The case remained in juvenile court and JW continued to receive the treatment he needed.

Being client-centered and doing good work. It's that simple! I've found that doing right by clients has a way of generating business.

I like to hear about what's going on and then set up a time to sit down and talk about everything. This gives me time to look at the case in the court's docket, review any police reports that are available, and research any law that's particular to the case. A face-to-face meeting allows us to go through everything, discuss my plan for the case, and review how much the case will cost.

The most rewarding part of my job is standing up for people when no one else will. I enjoy the other parts too--investigating a case, researching the law, writing motions, planning the trial strategy of a case, and then actually trying the case. But what I always remember is when a client thanks me for standing by him.

• State Bar of Georgia
  Atlanta Bar Association
  Federal Bar Association
  Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

• The Order of Barristers, University of Georgia School of Law, 2010
  Pupil, Joseph Henry Lumpkin Inn of Court, 2010

• Aggressive Cross-Examination Reveals Discovery Violation Practice Area: Criminal Defense Outcome: All charges dismissed. Motion to Suppress Successful After Bad Car Search Practice Area: Criminal Defense Outcome: All charges dismissed.

• Resetting the Doomsday Clock: Is it Constitutional for Laches to Bar a Copyright Infringement Claim within the Statute of Limitations?, 6 Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal 133 (2009).

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