''It's damn scary the first time you do it. The first time I did it, I got such a charge from it I never wanted to stop,'' Brodsky says of facing the jury for a criminal defense verdict. Nearly two months after the initial disappearance, with almost daily developments in the investigation, Peterson is now a suspect, but he has not been charged with any crime. With allegations that Peterson misused police background checks, had a mysterious meeting with truckers, and previously fired a gun at his wife in their home, the tension just keeps growing. As these new developments have surfaced in the investigation, Brodsky has continued to speak out to the media, reminding the public that officially "there is no case." As a member of a family where getting a graduate degree was expected, Brodsky knew early on that he was going to pursue a law degree. "I wanted to be a lawyer for as long as I can remember — probably before high school," he says. Brodsky completed his undergraduate work in history and political science at Drake University in 1979. He immediately went on to DePaul University for law school, from which he graduated in 1982. As he prepared to graduate from law school, Brodsky clerked for a firm that represented General Motors and other large corporate interests. With a job lined up at the firm upon graduation, Brodsky's career plans took a detour when the firm lost its major client. "So they didn't need me. I got a call from this guy, and he's like, 'Joel, got bad news for you.' So there I was, and I had to find work," Brodsky says. Fresh out of law school and jobless, Brodsky was eager to get any lawyer position he could find. He started out at a small bankruptcy firm, where he worked for six months until he was given a chance at a new firm to litigate. With a strong desire to try cases, Brodsky landed a position with a busy commercial law firm, Stone & Hughes, which provided him with plenty of cases to try. "I was probably trying between 100 and 150 cases a year," he says. Approximately five years later, after settling a very large medical malpractice case, Brodsky was able to co-open his own firm, Brodsky & Hoxha. From 1989 to 1996 he partnered at his firm and began to focus more on criminal defense. "When a guy is looking at going to the penitentiary, and you argue a case before the jury, and then the jury marches back and says, 'Will the defendant please rise and face the jury,' and you stand with your client and face the jury — I mean, that's the ultimate feeling. It's damn scary the first time you do it. The first time I did it, I got such a charge from it I never wanted to stop," Brodsky says. In 1996 Brodsky went out on his own as a sole practitioner for a couple of years before he joined Fioretti, Des Jardins & Reda (which later became Coston, Fioretti & Lichtman). He co-opened a new firm in 2003 with Reem Odeh called Brodsky & Odeh, where he continues to practice today. Currently, Brodsky does 60% to 70% criminal defense work, with some complex commercial litigation on the side. "There's probably very few guys who can make a living doing just criminal," he says. Brodsky recently made his media debut as Drew Peterson's attorney, appearing on a variety of news television shows to set Peterson's story straight. Peterson, whose wife has been missing since October 28, 2007, claims that she ran off with another man and is not coming home. Suspicions have arisen because of the questionable death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio. Savio was found dead in her bathtub in 2003 during negotiations for her divorce from Peterson. The death was originally ruled an accident, but investigators are now second-guessing the conclusion, claiming that it may have been a murder that was covered up to look like an accident. This background, combined with various media interpretations of Peterson's "indifferent" body language in interviews and playful interactions with the media on his front lawn, have painted a picture for many that he could have killed his wife. Despite the media buzz against Peterson, however, no concrete evidence has led to a warrant for his arrest. "I'm sitting here trying to analyze this situation like an attorney — not like a reporter or a detective," Brodsky says of the investigation's current state. "Analyzing it like a lawyer, I don't see reasonable suspicion or probable cause, so I don't think there is a case." Throughout his career, Brodsky has found mentorship in a few veteran attorneys; some he has known, and some he has never met. "The mentor that I never met was Clarence Darrow. His book of closing arguments, Attorney for the Damned: Clarence Darrow in the Courtroom, should be required reading at every law school," he says. Brodsky also learned some valuable lessons from Robert Hughes, an attorney he worked for at Stone & Hughes when he was still a young attorney. "These guys were old school — I mean old school," Brodsky says of Hughes and the other veteran attorneys at that firm. Robert Burns, his law professor from DePaul University, was also inspirational to Brodsky. "He was a great criminal evidence law professor who really told it like it was," he says. After his time in the legal industry, Brodsky offers some simple advice to law students and young professionals: "You gotta love what you do, or it's not worth doing."

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Article ID: 3850     Article Title: Drew Peterson's Defender: Attorney Joel Brodsky Comments: This is the great quote "Will the defendant please rise and face the jury,' and you stand with your client and face the jury — I mean, that's the ultimate feeling.", game a feeling of what it is like, to stand awaiting a judgment. Mr. Joel Brodsky, more strength to you. Posted by: Mark Kerzner   |   Date: 06-01-2008 I'm so relieved that Joel Brodsky has been able to keep Drew Peterson out of jail. What a champion of the underpriveleged and oppressed, and a really great guy to boot. Posted by: Jane Doe   |   Date: 12-18-2007 Comment

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