What Everyone Who Carries a Gun Needs to Know // Higher Line Podcast

[Duelist]

That’s part of it, if a bit understated. Emotionally disturbed /mentally ill would be more accurate.

More significantly, he’s a self professed expert in self defense law that has never prosecuted or defended a case in court. Much less a self defense case. Like a virgin professing to be an expert on sex.

Like, a really well-read virgin, or … not so much?

[SCCY Marshal]

Like, a really well-read virgin, or … not so much?

He's been a consultant from the time the ink dried on his credentials. Do you want an experiential or process consultant billing your shyster?

Has anyone here heard Mr. Branca state how many cases he has prosecuted and/or defended and it what jurisdictions?

Yes, and the answer is none. Given how many times you have copy/pasted this reply in every thread mentioning him, you could at least have had someone read his self-posted bio for you. As his About page no longer makes specific mention of that, the ship has sailed, however. To be less of a dick, his linkedin features mention of his consultancy since 1997 with zero primary counsel work listed:

Attorney
Law of Self Defense
1997 - Present - 26 years

Maynard, Massachusetts

Law of Self Defense, LLC, (LOSD) is the United States' leading advisory service on the law of self-defense, for both law-abiding citizens and their legal counsel.

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-branca-6a1a1a9a

[vcdgrips]

SCCY

I will leave it to the collective to decide if I am being a “dick” by pointing out the apparent fact that someone who holds themselves out as an attorney expert on the law of self defense has apparently NEVER tried a criminal self defense case as a prosecutor or defense atty, a civil self defense case as a plaintiff or a defendant, let alone ANY case at all.


Moreover in the listed thread below, post #21, I “link” to the Linkedin you mentioned.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....35#post1442835

Not sure what point you were trying to make re having somebody read about Branca “for” me as link above clearly indicates I have read multiple items about Branca and endeavored to find ANY case where he was even an atty of record by checking the premier legal data base in the USA and running my own name as a QC measure.

Bottom Line: somebody asked about Branca- I am highly like post up re his apparent lack of trial experience ANYWHERE.

Should I be mistaken, please link me to his trial experience and I will gladly be as vigorous in my posting re what would be my mistake.

[SCCY Marshal]

SCCY

I will leave it to the collective to decide if I am being a “dick” by pointing out the apparent fact that someone who holds themselves out as an attorney expert on the law of self defense has apparently NEVER tried a criminal self defense case as a prosecutor or defense atty, a civil self defense case as a plaintiff or a defendant, let alone ANY case at all.

...

Should I be mistaken, please link me to his trial experience and I will gladly be as vigorous in my posting re what would be my mistake.

"Dick" was in reference to my own tone. And you are not mistaken. My point was to provide an assertive statement to your passive-aggressive rhetorical question.

Call a spade a spade. Branca is a process consultant with a legal certification stapled to him. He has never tried his own case and many of us know it. For the benefit of those who do not, a clear statement would be much more useful than a homework assignment to look into it themselves.

[GJM]

I am generally willing to take the other side of the bet against anyone that uses "everyone, no one, always or never."

[GearFondler]

I am generally willing to take the other side of the bet against anyone that uses "everyone, no one, always or never."

You always say things like that and while it's never directed at everyone no one notices except me.

(I don't even know if that made any sense)

[DDTSGM]

"Dick" was in reference to my own tone. And you are not mistaken. My point was to provide an assertive statement to your passive-aggressive rhetorical question.

Call a spade a spade. Branca is a process consultant with a legal certification stapled to him. He has never tried his own case and many of us know it. For the benefit of those who do not, a clear statement would be much more useful than a homework assignment to look into it themselves.

I don't care one iota about Branca, but most of the use of force experts that have been listed in this thread and elsewhere, have never tried a case. What they have done is made themselves SME's by reading the law, researching relevant case studies, and, in some cases seemingly the same degree of self-promotion.

[rawkguitarist]

It would be helpful when stating Branca doesn't have any trial experience to also give some examples of other sources that have that requisite experience.

Any suggestions?

[vcdgrips]

RG says -"It would be helpful when stating Branca doesn't have any trial experience to also give some examples of other sources that have that requisite experience.

Any suggestions?"

IN theory, I understand why you would say that. IN practice, because the law of self defense as applied in various jurisdictions is so nuanced, the most qualified/expert folks in your locale are highly unlikely to have a national profile.
Therefore, the comments of a guy who has never tried a self defense case, ever, particularly in your jurisdiction, may be a very limited assistance in the moment you may be in legal jeopardy

Even guys like Mark O'Mara and Don West (successfully defended George Zimmerman) who gained national profile as a result, were FLA guys through and through.

Mark Richards, who successfully defended Kyle Rittenhouse had a much lower profile prior to that case- was a WI guy through and through.



As I posted in a related thread earlier this year:

Re hiring attys in general, particularly the criminal context

If you do not have an atty at the table who is at least the co-lead counsel (as opposed to "local" counsel who often is merely a point of contact and "sponsors" a visiting atty not licensed in that court) who has appeared countless times in the court/in front of the judge who is deciding the "case," particularly when money is apparently not an issue, you are doing it wrong...very wrong. IMHO, direct and vicarious experience as 25+ yrs as a prosecutor, no judge (county/state/federal) gives a rip about a national profile "defense" atty.

You want to have attys in that courtroom whom the judge knows and respects. In my jurisdiction, one of those guys is "B.B. Gun", if B.B. says it is true, it is true. B.B. is a gentleman, he returns calls, under promises and over delivers. If B.B. says he did not get a piece of discovery from the Govt, he did not get it. B.B. does not cast aspersions as to why and is gracious to a fault. His default argument is NEVER bad faith re the police, govt witnesses etc. There are a few B.B.s in every jurisdiction. If B.B. were to call me and say that one of my witnesses or my case has an issue, I am going to listen.


These are the types of folks you want representing you, IMHO , at every stage and in every proceeding. I would ask officers and attys in my locale who they would want representing them in x type of case. Who I would hire in a use of force matter v. a mortgage fraud v a DUI would be three different folks.