we serve throughout Alabama
Available 24/7 (205) 930 9800
(205) 930 9800
Attorney Richard S. Jaffe at Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C. in 2320 Arlington Ave S Suite 100, Birmingham, AL 35205

Richard S. Jaffe

Founding and Senior Partner

Richard S. Jaffe has tried hundreds of jury trials and represented thousands of individuals in the state and federal courts over his forty plus year career. His representation has included professionals of all types, including judges, lawyers, mayors, lobysts, legislators, pharmacists, doctors, accountants, mental health experts, dentists, politicians, engineers and CEOs. To Mr. Jaffe, each person is a human being of immense individual value, and he endeavors to give each client the deep respect and attention each person facing real fear and adversity deserves. Mr Jaffe fights fearlessly for his clients, and gratefully acknowledges that he owes much of his success to working collaboratively with the brilliant and talented team of lawyers he is privileged to work with.

Each year since 2007, both Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers of America have recognized Mr. Jaffe as one of the leading white-collar and criminal defense lawyers in Alabama. Best Lawyers has named him Lawyer of the Year in criminal defense four times since 2010 and Super Lawyers listed Mr. Jaffe in 2014 as one of the top 10 lawyers in Alabama. In 1984 he became the 2nd criminal defense attorney in Alabama to become certified by NBTA as a Criminal Trial Specialist. Martindale Hubbell has awarded him its highest rating as AV since 1982. He is licensed to practice law in Alabama, Georgia, New York, and DC, as well as numerous federal courts and the United Staes Supreme court.

Mr. Jaffe has represented over sixty people facing the death penalty. He is the only lawyer in the country to serve as lead counsel at new trials in which juries acquitted three people once on death row. He has handled six federal death penalty cases, including that of Eric Robert Rudolph, known as the Olympic Park Bomber. No client of Mr. Jaffe is currently on death row, and none have been executed. For over twenty years he chaired the death penalty committee for ACDLA, elevating its annual seminar to national recognition.

Mr. Jaffe is one of a select group of lawyers who are equally experienced and comfortable representing clients in both State and Federal courts. 90% of his clients come from referrals from other lawyers. He has earned a national reputation in both White -collar criminal defense in the federal and state courts as well as his defense of individuals facing the most serious offenses in State courts.

Mr. Jaffe served as a Board of Director for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) for a total of twelve years over his career and in 2013 the American College of Trial Lawyers inducted him as a Fellow. He has served as President of the Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (ACDLA) and is the Founder of the Greater Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (GBCDLA) and was twice elected as its president.

Mr. Jaffe is widely recognized as one of the leading experts on criminal law in the United States and is frequently called upon by local and national media outlets for his insight on complex issues involving criminal law. Author of Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned, 1st and 2nd editions, he has trained lawyers in communication and trial skills throughout the United States and has written numerous articles on persuasion, state and federal criminal defense, and trial techniques.

Mr. Jaffe is an Alabama native who earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1976. There, he represented the Law School on the National Moot Court Team. He started his career as a prosecutor, first as an Assistant Attorney General in the criminal appellate division and then as Deputy District Attorney for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.

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