Good Neighbor Podcast: Colorado Springs
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Colorado Springs
EP #82: Beyond the Courtroom: A Defense Attorney's Journey Through Law, Poetry, and Caregiving
What makes Michael Harris with Michael J. Harris, Attorney at Law, a good neighbor?
Ever wondered what happens when you step into a courtroom alone? According to criminal defense attorney Michael J. Harris, simply "telling the truth" isn't enough. With 17 years of solo practice experience, Harris pulls back the curtain on the realities of legal defense during this candid conversation.
The cornerstone of Harris's practice is personal service - a refreshing departure from the delegation common in larger firms. "When I have a client, I know personally what's going on," he explains, highlighting why he handles virtually every aspect of each case himself. This approach ensures clients always know exactly who to talk to, creating clarity during what can be an overwhelming process.
Harris shatters the dangerous misconception that good intentions guarantee favorable outcomes in court. "Everyone wants to be found innocent," he notes, "but prosecutors, judges, and juries want evidence and facts." This reality check serves as a powerful reminder of what's at stake without proper representation. His diverse clientele - from construction workers to doctors and even mayors - underscores his pragmatic observation that "everyone has broken a law; not everyone's been caught."
Beyond his legal practice, Harris reveals his creative side through two podcasts: "What's in the Law," which demystifies legal concepts for everyday people, and "Smokin' Poetry Podcast," where he interviews various performing artists. Perhaps most touching is his reflection on caregiving experiences that have deepened his empathy toward clients' unique situations. His parting advice? "Talk to at least three lawyers before making a decision. See who listens to you, who actually has a plan." Connect with Michael J. Harris at MikeHarrisLaw.com or on social media to learn more about his personal approach to legal defense.
To learn more about Michael J. Harris, Attorney at Law go to:
Michael J. Harris, Attorney at Law
719-635-2005
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Tony Hills.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a great criminal and traffic defense attorney? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing our good neighbor, michael Harris, with Michael J Harris, attorney at law. Michael, how's it going? Very good Harris. Attorney at law, michael, how's it going?
Speaker 3:Very good, thank you for having me, and how are you doing?
Speaker 2:I'm doing fantastic. We're excited to have you on the show, so tell us about what it is that you do.
Speaker 3:Well, as you mentioned, my primary area is criminal defense and traffic defense, and I also handle other similar types of things. For example, I handle restraining orders, I handled driver's license issues and I handle security clearance issues, and then occasionally something else will come across that I help someone else out.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's awesome. How did you get into this business?
Speaker 3:Well, it's a bit of a story, but I have been doing my own solo practice for about 17 years now and it was a series of events that got me into the solo practice.
Speaker 3:Before that I had been doing some government jobs and I really found that Doing the solo practice, I think, is for me, and I think for a lot of people, the best way to go, for several reasons, one being that when I have a client, I know personally what's going on.
Speaker 3:It's not something that I delegate out and have five other people doing various projects. I think it's important that, as the lawyer, the person who's going to go to court and talk to the judge, talk to the jury, talk to the witnesses and all that that I should be handling, basically everything that needs to be handled that I can do for that client. That doesn't mean we don't need to hire outside help for certain things, like if you need an expert witness or a doctor to review something, for example. But generally, as far as legal work, that's my job and I find it to be, I think, a lot easier on the client when they know exactly who to talk to and, frankly, I know their name, I know, you know what they do. You know what led to the case and I think that's a big advantage.
Speaker 2:Okay, what are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?
Speaker 3:Oh, there's many. I would say if there was one misconception that I would like to tell people about, it's a lot of people have the idea that if they just go to court, just tell the truth, just do what they think is right, that everything's going to work out fine. And unfortunately, a lot of people feel like that's all they have to do and it just does not work out that way. And there's a number of reasons why having someone like me can be important. If you are facing a criminal matter or a serious traffic matter, and one of the, I guess, ways I would explain that is just walking into court and saying I'm innocent is not going to go anywhere if there's nothing else to say. I mean, everyone wants to be found innocent, but it's not always possible.
Speaker 3:And when it is possible, how you present the case can be extremely important. How you present the case can be extremely important. The prosecutor, judge, jury they're not just going to trust you because you say that you're innocent and you know the truth in your heart. People want to see evidence, they want to see facts. So someone like me comes in and we look for what is the evidence? What do the witnesses have to say? And then we try to present it in a way that the other side's going to understand or the judge and jury are going to understand, and a lot of that involves talking to the client about what their situation is and kind of going through with them okay, what's important and what is maybe extraneous as far as what the other side is concerned. And a lot of people feel like, just because something's important to them, that it's going to be important to the other side and if it's not properly explained, the other side might just completely miss the fact.
Speaker 2:Okay, who are your target customers and how do you attract them?
Speaker 3:Well, I basically help all kinds of people. Frankly, a lot of people who hire me are relatively low income and, you know, doing the best they can to kind of get by. But I have also represented customers, you know, higher or higher income kind of clients as well. I have construction workers, military soldiers and things like that. But I've also represented doctors, lawyers and mayors. So everyone gets in trouble at some point. The one thing I like to say is everyone has done something to break a law. It's not everyone's been caught and it's not always been serious enough to actually get to court, but everyone's done something. Frankly, most people are going to need someone like me at some point in their life.
Speaker 2:Okay, outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Oh, that's quite a few things Actually. I have a couple of podcasts. Oh, that's quite a few things Actually. I have a couple of podcasts.
Speaker 3:One of my podcasts, which goes right with my law business, I call what's in the Law Podcast and you can find that on YouTube and Spotify and it's mostly me giving some short descriptions of things that happen and I try to present it in as far as what really happens, kind of a law for real people kind of thing, and not all the big giant words but how do things act in reality, which you might not find in the books.
Speaker 3:I've also interviewed a few other people in the legal profession to get their perspective on that. And then the second podcast I have, which is a completely different kind of show, is about poetry. I am a poet and I have a podcast I call Smokin' Poetry Podcast no G in smokin' and on that one I interview local performing artists, poets, musicians, comedians, got a magician, got some painters and authors and we talk not only about their art, about their life, about their experiences. I have literal war stories from several veterans and that is also on YouTube and Spotify and several of the other podcast hosting sites. So I encourage everyone to check that out.
Speaker 2:Okay, awesome, let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or life challenge you overcame, how it made you stronger and what comes to mind?
Speaker 3:Well, there's quite a few things like that. I will say I have part of my life in fact, maybe even one of the most major parts of my life has been being a caregiver for someone who is very sick. I'm dealing with some of my own health issues and one thing that that has really taught me, or enhanced at least, is empathy and understanding that what is so-called normal to some people might be completely off the wall to other people and trying to be sympathetic and looking at, well, what is the cause of certain behavior. So I think that has really helped me in that sense about being able to understand people's difficulties.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, michael, please tell us one thing that you remember about Michael J Harris, attorney at law.
Speaker 3:That it's personal service. I encourage anyone facing a serious legal matter to talk to at least three lawyers before you make a decision, not saying, if I'm the first that you can't hire me, but talk to three, see who you're comfortable with, see what the differences are, see who listens to you, see who actually has a plan and has more questions than can you pay me my retainer and you'll see a big difference in how different lawyers are.
Speaker 2:Okay, how can I listen to learn more about Michael J Harris? Attorney at law.
Speaker 3:Well, for one. You can go to MikeHarrisLawcom, which is on my website. You can also find me on Facebook, just Michael J Harris, attorney at law. I'm on Instagram under Mike Harris Law, with another little dash because someone took the name before me, so you can read about me there. You can certainly go into Google and sometimes I wonder what people are saying about me and all these things. Just keep in mind I have a common name and there are other Michael Harris's out there, so if you can't look for my bald head, ok awesome, Michael.
Speaker 2:Well, we wish you the best in your business. We appreciate you being on our show today.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate the Good Neighbor podcast and what you're doing to present to the communities, various local businesses and what we have to offer.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPColoradoSpringscom. That's GNPColoradoSpringscom, or call 719-679-4720.