Meet Richard Jaffe

Photos courtesy of The Birmingham News and others

“As I told the judge who appointed me, ‘Our system only functions when those accused of the worst and most heinous crimes receive the highest quality of representation.’ The health and stability of our adversarial system depends on it.”

-Richard Jaffe, Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned (2nd Ed.) 

According to the Equal Justice Initiative, in Alabama, nine people have been exonerated from death row—Jaffe represented four of them: James Willie “Bo” Cochran, Randal Padgett, Gary Drinkard, and Wesley Quick. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, during the civil rights era, Jaffe grew up understanding that injustice permeated places and institutions. Later, as a passionate and aggressive Alabama criminal defense attorney, he took it upon himself to uphold justice and right as many wrongs in the criminal justice system as he could.

Currently Senior Partner at Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C. in Birmingham, Jaffe has been practicing law for over forty years. Though the majority of his career has been spent defending those accused of crimes, he started his career as Assistant Attorney General after graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law. He went on to be Deputy District Attorney in Tuscaloosa, then went into private practice.

Jaffe has represented hundreds of clients accused of murder including more than 70 cases where the client faced the death penalty. He is well known for his avid defense of his clients, including Eric Robert Rudolph, the Olympic Park Bomber. Best Lawyers of America has named him "Lawyer of the Year" in the areas of Criminal Defense or White-Collar Criminal Defense in Birmingham 3 times since 2010. He was listed by Super Lawyers in 2013 as one of the top 10 lawyers in Alabama. In addition to being a published author, Jaffe also is a sought after speaker.

With unmatched experience fighting for justice and the accused, Richard Jaffe has masterfully utilized his storytelling skills to tell the stories of those he has helped in the pursuit of justice.

News and Media Appearances

Reviews and news about Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned (2nd Ed.)

• The Champion | Book Review: Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned (2nd Ed.)

• Wrongful Conviction Podcast with Jason Flom | Randal Padgett (featuring Richard S. Jaffe)

News, videos, and reviews about Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned (1st Ed.)

• AL.com | Lawyer Richard Jaffe questions the death penalty in 'Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned'

• New Haven Register | Alabama attorney questions death penalty in new book

• Associatesmind.com | Book Review: Quest For Justice – Defending The Damned

• The Champion | Book Review: Quest for Justice - Defending the Damned

• The Federal Lawyer | Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned reviewed by Elizabeth Kelley

• New York Law Journal | Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned reviewed by Michael S. Hiller 

• The Alabama Lawyer | Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned reviewed by William N. Clark

• TV News Coverage of Quest for Justice (1st Ed.)

Noteworthy Media Mentions:

• Birmingham Times | Family of Alabama Death Row Inmate Seeks Just Mercy

• AL.com | Opinion by Richard Jaffe: “Just Mercy” spotlights injustices that still plague our death penalty

• Trussville Tribune | Cracker Barrel parking lot murder trial pushed back to November

• Trussville Tribune | UPDATE: Trussville Cracker Barrel parking lot shooting trial continued

• Washington Post | An illusion of justice: The baffling conviction and death sentence of Toforest Johnson reveal a broken system

• AL.com | Former Alabama lawmaker Oliver Robinson released early from federal prison due to COVID-19 risk

• AL.com | Has an innocent man sat on Alabama’s Death Row for 20 years?

• AL.com | Man freed from Death Row dies; taught lesson of forgiveness, lawyer says

• The Appeal | Sentenced to Life Without Parole at 17 and Denied Freedom at 52

• Washington Post | Three teens, tired of video games, decided to play ‘catch a predator.’ Police say it worked.

• New York Times | Underage Sex Sting Led by Alabama Teenagers Ensnares a Teacher

• Washington Post | A pregnant woman was shot in the stomach. She was charged in the death of the fetus.

• Alabama Public Radio | Best News Feature "How Much is Three Years on Death Row Worth?" Alabama Public Radio

• AL.com | Alabama judge tosses murder indictment; says man immune under 'Stand Your Ground'

• AL.com | Did judicial override end in Alabama? Some say judges can still overrule jury over death penalty

• AL.com | Business executive pleads guilty in Alabama legislative bribery scheme

• The Nation | These Men are Fighting to Abolish the Death Penalty—From Death Row

• Washington Post | The outrageous conviction of Montez Spradley

• ACLU | Montez Spradley, Innocent Man, Released from Prison After 9.5 Years, 3.5 on Death Row

• AL.com | 8 men have walked free from Alabama's death row in 39 years

• U.S. News and World Report | Former Legislator Charged With Accepting Bribes.

• New York Times | Firebrand Alabama Republican Collides With Ethics Law He Espoused

• Forward | I Found Roy Moore’s Jewish Attorney — And He’s A Friend Of Doug Jones

• TIME Magazine | Roy Moore's 'Jewish Attorney' Is a Practicing Christian

• AL.com | Recent arrest puts Caleb Moore's criminal record in the spotlight

• Selma Times Journal | Lawyers speak up in Wooten’s defense

• Trussville Tribune | Attorney for accused Cracker Barrel shooter says video will prove self-defense

Honors

• AV® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® (1986-Present)

• ACDLA Roderick Beddow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Criminal Defense (2001)

• Alabama Bar Association Clarence Darrow Award for Contributions to Indigent Defense (1996)

• ACDLA President Award (2007-2018)

• Best Lawyers of America (2007-2020)

• Super Lawyers® (2008-2020)

• Best Lawyers of America - "Lawyer of The Year" Birmingham, Non-White Collar (2010)

• Birmingham Magazine’s Top Birmingham Lawyers (2008-2020)

• Super Lawyers® - Top 50 Lawyers in Alabama (2013)

• Best Lawyers of America – “Lawyer of the Year” for White Collar in Birmingham (2013)

• Top 10 Super Lawyers in Alabama (2014)

• Top 50 Super Lawyers in Alabama (2013-2020)

• Best Lawyers of America – “Lawyer of the Year” for Criminal Defense: General Practice in Birmingham (2020)

• Inducted into B-Metro Magazine’s Hall of Fame Attorneys (2019)

• Greater Birmingham Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (GBCDLA) - Lifetime Achievement Award (2016)

• Inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) (2013)