My work philosophy is to preserve my client's presumption of innocence and to put the government to the burden of proving every element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt. I am accustomed to protecting the relatively powerless little guy from the reach of an enormously powerful government. Part of this is based on my background: growing up in Newark I could see first-hand how the less privileged had to face up to powerful interests. I've always had a reverence for the Constitution and the rights it confers on all of us.

It's true that I don't have the typical resume of a criminal-defense lawyer: I have an MBA from Harvard, and many people ask why I did not go into business rather than law. My answer is that I always wanted to be a lawyer. My business education, however, has helped me, particularly in white-collar crime cases, to analyze complex financial structures and dealings, and to cross-examine experts, such as IRS agents.

Our case load runs the gamut. From representing politicians and those accused of white-collar crime, to those charged with sex, drug and computer offenses, to public-sector employees, such as teachers. Most of our work is referred to us from other lawyers. The cases I find most challenging are the difficult ones, where the public automatically sees the accused as guilty without knowing anything about the facts, except what is reported.

I do my job keeping certain principles in mind. For starters, anything a client says to me will be held in the strictest confidence. And this is what I tell every client from the outset: let the lawyer do the worrying for you. I'll do my best for the client: we'll give 1,000 percent. That's our job, to help the client worry less.

Our high level of professionalism and track record helps our clients. Typically, prosecutors are willing to talk to us right away - they know we will do everything in our power, within ethical boundaries, to vindicate our clients.