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Justin Brown with Allen Finke the day he was freed.

The Impossible is Possible: Allen Finke is Free After 44 Years

When we first met Allen Finke, some four years ago, it seemed like all hope had been lost. Allen had been in prison more than 40 years for a crime he did not commit. His health was failing. He had tried almost every kind of legal remedy, and nothing had worked. Brown Law agreed to take his case, even though the chances of winning seemed like one in a million. The case was just too ...
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Big News: Second Look Act Close to Reality

In a significant development for criminal justice reform, Maryland’s General Assembly has approved the Second Look Act, sending it to the governor’s desk for signature. The law aims to offer a second chance to individuals serving lengthy prison sentences, acknowledging the potential for personal growth and rehabilitation. Why the Second ...
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Good Things Come in… 2’s?

Brown Law has long been an eager participant in the fight against mass incarceration. We have litigated on behalf of state and federal prisoners all over the country – many of whom were warehoused in prison and forgotten about by much of society. One of the most impactful areas of ...
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Amendment 821 could lead to federal sentence reductions

Help could be on the way for an estimated 11,500 people who are currently serving federal sentences in the Bureau of Prisons. Two recent changes to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines – referred to collectively as Amendment 821 – could lead to significant sentence reductions. The Guidelines changes, generally speaking, apply ...
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William Mitchell Is Free!

Sometimes lawyers meet extraordinary people who happen to be living behind prison bars. That is the case with Brown Law client William Mitchell, who earlier this month was freed after a Harford County judge agreed to reduce his sentence to, essentially, time served. William first contacted me in 2012, through ...
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PG County Murder Reversed; Brown Law’s 7th Life Sentence Overturned

A Prince George’s County judge vacated the murder conviction of Brown Law client Marlon Marshall, finding that his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing to consult a DNA expert. The case was litigated by Brown Law attorneys Justin Brown and Lylian Romero. Marshall had been convicted in a 2017 ...
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