
“I am human, but I can’t let that get in the way.”
“Right before the jury reads the verdict, my nerves are raw, my stomach is in my brain. I am hyper-focused on this moment.
‘Jeremy Bacchus: Not guilty.’ I start to cry when I hear that. My client, Jeremy Bacchus, cried too. So did his family. After, I watched him go home. That is the narcotic of winning a case, the drug of being a defense lawyer.
One minute 21-year-old Jeremy Bacchus was in his Tamarac home, the next minute he, his black 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe and his 20-year-old passenger were wrapped around a tree. She didn’t make it. The jury decided it was an accident, not a homicide.
For the last 23 years, I periodically remove myself from real life and become absorbed into criminal defense cases, engrossed in the evidence and searching for the inconsistencies. I hibernate and tear the case apart.
There are no breaks for me in a case like this. No leisure dinners. No family time. My life is bonded to my trial team, my client and my client’s family. I always believe that I will win. Every case has an angle. I knew from the onset that the Jeremy Bacchus case was an accident, not a homicide. Jeremy Bacchus will always be remorseful.
My family knows to stay away when I am consumed. I become ritualistic. First, I order food from Anthony’s Coal Fired. I stay awake nights and wake up early mornings. I do nothing else but the case I am working on. I cannot let myself go to an emotional place, I am used to detaching. This is a case where a 20-year-old is dead. I study autopsy photos, police chalk outlines and every piece of evidence. As difficult as that is for me to reconcile, I have a job to do. It’s not something I talk about, it is too shocking.
My family picks up the slack. That is how I win a case, and when I win I am exhilarated. My ego is intensely involved. If I lose a case I take it personally and I let those failures make me appreciate the victories.
When it is all over, the glorious glow of winning stays with me for a while and then I start the next battle. After 20 years, I have done hundreds of cases and still, I get insecure and nervous like anybody else. I used to be intimidated by prosecutors and judges but not anymore. I see it as my turn to be on stage and let the actor within me perform.
I chose the right career path. I really wanted to be an actor when I was a kid and essentially, the courtroom is my stage. If I won the Powerball I would still be a lawyer. I have that passion for it.
People ask how I can defend criminals. There is only one simple answer: everyone has a right to a trial, and I have that job to do.”

Eric’s Treasures
“Whenever I am in trial I wear these good luck shoes. I removed the original ornamentation on them and replaced them with handcuffs. My wife got them for me.”
The familes of the accused, the accused and the innocent are lucky to have you on their side.
Thank you Linda
Eric