As a law clerk, attorney Nicholas Hart reviewed pro se criminal appeals to determine if there was a case that the Court should review. He clerked for the Honorable Judge James E. Graves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. During that time, he was struck by the criminal justice process and the lack of access to quality representation. He believes that sending a person to jail or prison should be amongst the most difficult decisions made. But, as a society, we have created a culture of incarcerations without pause. He gravitates to the most complex cases because that is where he feels like he can make the most impact.
A person charged with murder or a violent crime is not just fighting for an acquittal or a favorable sentence. Our system now requires them to fight to prove their humanity. Harrison & Hart, LLC works on complex cases because those individuals are the most vulnerable in our system. Nicholas Hart works to effect change in a system that is in desperate need of reform.
The Process
Working on Cases With a Deliberate Process
Using focus and strategy to navigate the legal system.
Attorney Nicholas Hart never passes judgment or forms an opinion based upon accusations or the prosecution’s evidence. Instead, he spends the early portion of any case getting to know the client and the client’s story. A criminal defense lawyer’s job is to tell the jury and the judge why they should believe their clients. They cannot do that without knowing who their client is and their entire background.
Nicholas Hart treats every case – criminal, appeals, post-conviction, civil, and personal injury – as if it is going to trial. He develops trial strategies and allows those strategies to inform how he conducts discovery, the motions that are filed, and experts that are hired.
Too often, lawyers focus on the “how.” How do we achieve victory? How do we apply the law to this case? How do we extend the law to give us a favorable result? But they often forget the “why.” Why should the court or jury decide in their client’s favor? Nicholas Hart’s process is to put forward the best case for his clients by not only giving the Court or jury the tools to rule in favor of his client, but also giving them compelling reasons why they should do so.
Understanding
Listening to Your Story With Compassion
Your story is important. Tell it with humanity and dignity.
Clients can expect to speak with attorney Hart when they call for legal advice or a case update. He dedicates significant amounts of time to talking to clients and getting to know them. He feels his job is not just to argue the law, but to tell his client’s story and ensure their humanity and dignity. He spends a lot of time with his clients instead of passing them off to a paralegal or associate attorney.
Nicholas Hart stays in close contact with clients as he makes litigation and strategy decisions in their cases. A client is a partner in presenting the case to a jury in court. He is an effective advocate because he includes clients in the process and depends on their experiences and knowledge in every facet of their cases.