Attorney at Law Magazine is proud to introduce its 2025 Criminal Defense special issue celebrating criminal law lawyers nationwide.
Lawyers! Welcome to the 2025 Criminal Defense Special Issue. I’m excited to introduce you to several practitioners who have dedicated their careers to providing representation to those accused and ensuring their rights are protected.
Our cover story and Attorney of the Month, Blake Poole, is a Georgia criminal defense attorney who, following September 11, 2001, began his path to the Army. He was grateful for that experience but found his way back to the law. As a third-generation attorney, it was a path he had long considered. He quickly found himself drawn to criminal defense and began his career as a prosecutor before he made the decision to open his own practice.
International lawyer Sandro Monteblanco spoke about his unique practice that crosses borders, cultures and political regimes. Over the last decade he has focused much of his practice on Interpol. With offices in multiple countries, Sandro stands as a guard for justice in this ever-increasingly global world.
Rick Sichta was also drawn to the practice of criminal defense early in his youth. In high school, he was a member of a heavy metal band and was accused by his principal of doing drugs because of his long hair and his love for metal. This was the first time he began to see how easily people were judged by their appearance. He has spent three decades as a well-respected criminal appellate lawyer in Florida.
Sacramento lawyer Candice Fields has focused much of her practice on white-collar criminal defense—she calls it financial crimes with high-stakes sentencing. Her time working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in law school taught her how valuable credibility is in a defense attorney—something she has brought to her practice and the firm she has launched.
Thank you to the lawyers who shared their stories with us in this issue. Looking ahead, we’re excited to bring you an issue focused on mediation and the ADR space.
Happy Reading,
Kenneth Minniti
Executive Publisher
On a blistering afternoon in Iraq, Blake Poole’s convoy rolled through hostile terrain. He had already seen more than his share of combat, he had led men into battle as one of the Army’s youngest squad leaders, and he had lived each day with the reality that it might be his last.
When attorney Sandro O. Monteblanco founded the Monteblanco Law Group (MLG) more than two decades ago, he had a clear vision: to create a boutique law firm dedicated to international clientele and personalized, one-on-one service. At the time, few could have predicted how far that vision would extend—or how relevant his global expertise would become in today’s increasingly interconnected and
Federal criminal defense attorney Candice Fields longed for a meaningful career, so she traded in her job promoting textile products in the design trade for a law degree. “I knew instinctively that I wanted to protect individual constitutional rights,” she said. “I’m wired for two things: advocacy and people.” Starting out, she sampled civil litigation where she honed skills she
The debate over urban crime today seems to be following a familiar refrain, much like the contemporary remake of an old movie. In the 1960s, there was a push to adopt more forgiving criminal laws during a period of perceived public safety. As a result, more offenders were released and crime began to rise. The national political parties disagreed on
On a blistering afternoon in Iraq, Blake Poole’s convoy rolled through hostile terrain. He had already seen more than his share of combat, he had led men into battle as one of the Army’s youngest squad leaders, and he had lived each day with the reality that it might be his last.
When attorney Sandro O. Monteblanco founded the Monteblanco Law Group (MLG) more than two decades ago, he had a clear vision: to create a boutique law firm dedicated to international clientele and personalized, one-on-one service. At the time, few could have predicted how far that vision would extend—or how relevant his global expertise would become in today’s increasingly interconnected and
Federal criminal defense attorney Candice Fields longed for a meaningful career, so she traded in her job promoting textile products in the design trade for a law degree. “I knew instinctively that I wanted to protect individual constitutional rights,” she said. “I’m wired for two things: advocacy and people.” Starting out, she sampled civil litigation where she honed skills she
The debate over urban crime today seems to be following a familiar refrain, much like the contemporary remake of an old movie. In the 1960s, there was a push to adopt more forgiving criminal laws during a period of perceived public safety. As a result, more offenders were released and crime began to rise. The national political parties disagreed on
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