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Defence lawyer's mug shot ends up next to own online ad after weekend arrest

By Neetzan Zimmerman
Monday, March 11, 2013

Oops

Bad: Criminal defense attorney Thomas Lewis Edwards of Gainesville, Florida, was arrested over the weekend and charges with multiple counts stemming from an alleged drunken hit-and-run.

Worse: His mug shot appeared on a local mug shot website juxtaposed with an online banner ad for his own legal practice, Schackow, Mercadante & Edwards.

Worst: Back in 2007, Edwards was interviewed by The Gainesville Sun about bad-looking mug shots, and had this to say:

"Mug shots, unfortunately, are never good pictures. They've usually got people who are in compromised positions," said Gainesville defense attorney Thomas Edwards.

"They arrest you and you're not looking so good. They're not going to give you a plastic comb.

They are not going to concern themselves if you look like crap."

Short of someone turning themselves in at the jail, most people can't prepare for getting their mug shot taken, Edwards said.

Legally, he added, there's nothing a defense lawyer can do about a bad mug shot except make sure it doesn't prejudice a jury that will hear the case.

Oof. If he's looking for a good lawyer, I hear Thomas Lewis Edwards is superb.
[H/T: Reddit]



Replies for Neetzan Zimmerman

1. I think his mug shot looks pretty good. It's amazing what a smile can do.

2. And what does the Florida Bar Association think of this? I'm pretty sure that in other places this would be grounds for suspending, if not revoking, Mr. Edwards' license to practice law. Just wondering.

3. I wonder who THE OTHER Lewis Edwards who is represented by a picture of a fingerpint (Bottom Row, 3rd left to right)? What are the odds of two people with the exact same name being arrested in Gainesville, Florida? You don't suppose they just "found" a picture of a guy with that name who also happened to be a defence lawyer and ran with it.

4. When the going gets tough, you don't want a criminal lawyer. You want a CRIMINAL lawyer.

5. Florida is definitely one place you could get very rich selling billboard ad space to law firms. Especially in Gainesville, those ads are everywhere. And they buy probably 50% of the local TV ad sots, as well. There aren't that many people in North Central Florida so its hard to figure how there can be enough mischief.

6. My last mugshot looks pretty good. They took me over to the police station right after my arraignment. I was still wearing my suit and tie. The cops treated me real nice too. The just told me to meet them at the police station to get booked. Didn't even put me in the cop car. Just drove over and met them there. I was out in like 20 minutes.