Houston Chronicle features Local Legal Icons Racehorse Haynes, Joe Jamail

Posted by lukegilman

September 20, 2007

The Houston Chronicle’s Mary Flood did a great story about local lawyers Richard “Racehorse” Haynes and Joe Jamail in Legendary lawyers show no signs of slowing downThe conversation is worthy of her subjects:

Haynes, the witty and gentlemanly criminal defense lawyer, recalls the prior generation’s legal master Percy Foreman warning him that the law is a jealous mistress “but they don’t explain that the law is a nymphomaniac.”

The article is an interesting look at two very successful lawyers who keep practicing long after they needed to and past the age when most men would have retired to the golf course.

Haynes recently told football star Michael Vick he didn’t want to take his dog fighting case, partially because the late, great Percy Foreman told Haynes not to take on clients who hurt horses or dogs. Foreman thought if cats were hurt it wasn’t as big a problem, Haynes recalls.

Just as interesting are the notes from the conversation she posted at the Legal Trade Blog: Jamail & Haynes - octogenarian legal masters -UPDATED

Haynes: The criminal law has changed for the worse.
Jamail: So has the civil law.
Haynes: The 6th amendment and the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure are hanging by fingernails. The right to effective assistance off counsel? The 5th amendment? Hanging by fingernails. The 4th amendment? Why nobody’s even paying attention to it anymore.