TLC Podcast Episode 14: Why Direct Exam is So Important to Criminal Defense Lawyer Don Malarcik
Episode 14: Why Direct Exam is So Important to Criminal Defense Lawyer Don Malarcik
“I can’t imagine a more difficult decision for any criminal defense lawyer when they’re facing a trial than whether or not you put your client on. I’m predisposed not to put your client on, but like I said there are cases and times when you have to do it, and there are times when you should do it. So I always prepare my case and my client as if we are going to put him or her on and go through the process. In going through the process, and walking through the TLC method of direct examination,100 times out of 100, I will learn something about the case that I didn’t know without going through that process with my client.” – Don Malarcik, 2001 TLC Graduate & Faculty Member
Whether you want to put your client on the stand or not, you must plan for it anyway. It’s the process itself that lays the groundwork for the win. In this podcast, Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer and Direct Examination TLC Faculty member, Don Malarcik, talks about why criminal defense lawyers need to be prepared to put their client on the stand, how to build trust, and how to enable the jury to connect with their story.
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Interviewing Don Malarcik
Don Malarcik graduated from Kent State University in 1990 and the University of Akron School of Law in 1993. During law school, Don interned with Justice Brown of the Ohio Supreme Court. He is admitted to the Ohio Bar and in the Northern District of Ohio Federal Court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Don is a trial lawyer who has handled numerous criminal, civil and juvenile matters. During his career as a criminal defense attorney, he has tried everything from the death penalty to disorderly conduct cases. Don graduated from TLC in 2001 and joined its faculty team in 2006. Don has repeatedly been named one of the top criminal defense lawyers in Northeastern Ohio by Inside Business Magazine; he was chosen as a Leading Lawyer by his colleagues; and while in 2005 he was named an Ohio Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine, today his star has clearly risen and continues to rise!
