On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Apr 3, 2020 | State Appeals
The evidence that law enforcement officers collect is one of the most important parts of a criminal case. Without evidence, ranging from physical evidence like DNA or fingerprints to testimony from witnesses, or even a confession from the person accused, it is...
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Nov 18, 2019 | State Appeals
After a criminal conviction, you might be wondering where to turn. If you did not get a fair trial or if something else happened that subverted the justice system, there is a possibility that you could find recourse through the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals....
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Aug 2, 2019 | Criminal Defense, State Appeals
Tennessee’s Sergeant Daniel Baker Act sheds some light on the appeal process for defendants who are convicted of an offense that results in capital punishment. I am attorney Patrick T. McNally, and I understand how this Act, which went into effect on August 1,...
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Jun 20, 2019 | Post Conviction, State Appeals
Sometimes, pleading guilty might seem like the easy way out of criminal charges. And there are plenty of attorneys who might encourage their clients to plead guilty, claiming that there will be fewer consequences. However, pleading guilty waives an individual’s right...
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Apr 29, 2019 | State Appeals
Each year, the National Registry of Exonerations sends out an annual report that reveals how many innocent people were exonerated that year, along with information about what problems brought about their wrongful convictions. Last year, 151 people were found not to...
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Mar 8, 2019 | State Appeals
For many Tennessee residents, the process of appealing a court ruling is a bit unclear. In order for an appellate court to consider an appeal, there must be demonstrable evidence indicating that a grievous error was made during the trial, one that had a large effect...
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Feb 19, 2019 | State Appeals
“We need to be able to look at old cases, especially where someone is claiming that they are wrongfully convicted,” says Assistant District Attorney Robert Jones, who leads the Conviction Review Unit at the Nashville District Attorney’s office....
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Jan 28, 2019 | State Appeals
As you probably know, Governor Bill Haslam granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown. Brown, 30, was sentenced to life in prison after she, a teenage sex trafficking victim, killed a man who paid to have sex with her. Brown had appealed her life sentence after the U.S....
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Jan 15, 2019 | State Appeals
If you’ve been found guilty of a felony, you might wonder how your trial could’ve gone differently. Paying fines, providing compensation to a victim or their family, serving prison time and parole may all factor into your sentencing. But in some cases, your punishment...
On behalf of Patrick T. McNally, Attorney at Law | Dec 11, 2018 | State Appeals
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama that sentencing juvenile offenders to life in prison without the possibility of parole violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments. The court had previously ruled that...
