Women Criminal Defense Attorneys: Blair Berk Representing High Profile Defendant in Los Angeles
Blair Berk is no stranger to representing celebrities, but now finds herself involved in one of this country’s most media intensive cases. She is currently representing former NFL Safety Darren Sharper, who is charged with multiple rapes in multiple cities. He is now facing charges in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Tempe, Arizona, and faced investigations in both Las Vegas and Miami. He was originally out on bond in Los Angeles but was taken back into custody and held without bond after being charged in both New Orleans and Arizona. By anyone’s standards this is a challenging case, considering that the client is facing sexual assault allegations by multiple women in multiple jurisdictions on a very public stage. Without question, hiring Blair Berk, a female criminal lawyer, was a very smart move. When I originally read about the case it was obvious to me the case needed a strong woman lawyer and a unified defense amongst the various jurisdictions. And it appears both are being successfully accomplished.
Blair Berk and Leonard Levine have begun to globally address the evidence through a recent motion that exposes the weaknesses in each individual case. It was just announced that Sharper would not face charges in Miami and Berk highlighted the fact that the Miami victim waited until Sharper was charged in LA to come forward, along with the fact that DNA taken from both LA victims contained DNA evidence belonging to other men. She also noted that the alleged victim from New Orleans is under investigation for drugging another woman to demonstrate that the cases are not what they have been hyped up to appear. Although they weren’t successful in obtaining a bond for Sharper, they were successful in obtaining more discovery evidence.
This case is a dangerous example of what can happen when cases are tried in the media. At this point can there ever be an untainted venue where the credibility of the witnesses can be fairly evaluated? I can’t recall a case like this, where so many women have alleged they have been raped by the same public figure in such a media intensive environment. It creates a frightening public sentiment that “the charges must be true,” and forms the making of a modern day witch hunt.
The good news for Sharper is that Blair Berk is up for the challenge. She was highlighted by CNN in 2010 as a lawyer who specializes in making stars’ legal scraps disappear. She was quoted as saying "In my 20 years of practice, I have never once found it in my client's best interest to have media coverage of their criminal case." She considers lawyers who bask in a client's reflected fame to be "cringe-inducing." I was so thrilled when I read that because she couldn’t be more right. Sometimes it seems that lawyers representing celebrities are more interested in their own celebrity status than what is in the best interest of their client. Kudos to Blair Berk for knowing the difference. Strong, savvy women criminal defense attorneys like Blair Berk are a great asset for their clients and the pursuit of justice. Be sure to stay tuned for updates on this case. And, if you know a female criminal defense attorney that is doing great work, I’d love to hear about it and possibly highlight the case on this blog.