Law as a Martial Art
“The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle” (unknown).
The fight is the thing.
I work to keep myself ready for battle at any moment, and my passion for martial arts and fitness helps to focus mind and body in that endeavor. I have training and competitive experience in various grappling forms, including Greco-Roman and Freestyle Wrestling, Aikido, Qin Na, Aiki-jutsu, Dumog, Systema, Combat and Sport Sombo, Glima, historical German Kampfringen and Ringenkunst, Judo, Combat Wrestling and Brazilian Jujutsu. My grandfather, uncles and father were all moderately successful professional and amateur boxers and trainers, but my arms were too short, so I was forced to pursue a path where short arms were not such a hindrance. In college, I was a nationally ranked heavyweight wrestler; over the years, I have held state, regional, national and international titles in Judo, Wrestling, Freestyle stick fighting, Combat Grappling and amateur Mixed Martial Arts competitions.
While I would not describe myself as an “expert” teacher of Martial Arts, Sports and Combatives, I do possess belt rankings and certifications in several martial arts and sports systems. I once owned a dojo, and have produced martial arts seminars and contests in addition to instructing at Judo and Jujutsu clubs. Sometimes a professional trainer and sparring partner for world-ranked professional boxers and mixed martial artists, I also lead workshops and community center classes on Kampringen and Ringekunst as well as instruct police officers in arrest procedures and tactical ground fighting as part of their continuing education requirements.
I went into law to fight as a modern gladiator, to be a warrior, a knight, doing battle for those less able to do it in their own behalf. In that battle fought on the floors of the courtroom, the confidence I have from many years of building my body and training in martial arts shows through and enables me to fight that much more strongly for my client.
The discipline and self-control with which I have approached these other areas of my life gives me tremendous benefits in constructing a defense for a client. I also know from my training that while pure aggressiveness and a combative spirit can carry one a long ways in a fight, that the skills and mindset that comes with preparation, hard work and years of experience "in the trenches" cannot be beaten.
And I know that a legal case, in the end, is a fight. A fight must be approached with both an starting strategy and an ability to be flexible when everything does not work out according to your initial battle plan. In a fight you cannot be passive, cannot simply wait for your opponent to decide what they are going to do. Even as a defendant in a criminal case, you must have a plan of attack, you cannot simply passively defend against the prosecutor's case.
If I agree to take your case and defend you, do not expect me to bench press a Deputy District Attorney or to karate chop a City prosecutor. Instead expect that you will have an attorney in your corner who loves to fight, who will approach your case like a war to be fought on your behalf and will use the all the discipline, confidence, aggressiveness, combative spirit, experience and battle tested legal skills at his disposal to get the best results for you.
As I said, the fight is the thing.
“If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves”(Winston Churchill).
Call my office at 702-384-4WAR (4927)
for a free, no-obligation consultation
