Lawyer of the Day

Lawyer of the Day: Homero Canales

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The main villain this story is the client rather than the lawyer. But the facts are too good for us not to mention it. From today’s New York Times:

ALICE, Tex. – Rustling has been frowned upon in this South Texas cow and cotton town since long before it was named for the youngest daughter of the founder of the nearby King Ranch.

So when the mayor, Grace Saenz-Lopez, agreed to take care of her next-door neighbors’ sick Shih Tzu and ended up keeping it, telling them the dog was dead and buried, it was bound to get ugly.

Particularly after the mop-haired critter, Puddles, turned up quite alive — and renamed Panchito — at Ms. Saenz-Lopez’s twin sister’s ranch 14 miles away.

As one of our tipsters quips, “It’s nice to know that abuse of power is alive and well in Texas… This is the same town that rigged an election for LBJ back in the day.”
But there is a role for the lawyer in this story:

[Ms. Saenz-Lopez] said she had no regrets [for taking the dog from a flea-infested home]. “If we can’t be the voice of the people any more, let us be the voice of animals.”

Her lawyer, Homero Canales, wearing a black T-shirt with the words “No Culpable” — Spanish for “Not Guilty” — quibbled slightly. “You could have handled it better,” he said.

Ms. Garcia looked surprised. “Thank you, counselor,” she said.

More about Homero, after the jump.


Is Mr. Canales, in saying that his client “could have handled it better,” an insufficiently zealous advocate — “No Culpable” t-shirt notwithstanding?
Unlikely. From the Alice Echo News-Journal:

District Attorney Joe Frank Garza filed a report with the Alice Police Department, alleging Homero Canales, the attorney for Mayor Grace Saenz-Lopez, verbally threatened him….

Garza told the chief of police that Canales had learned the district attorney’s office was scheduled to present cases to the grand jury Friday against Saenz-Lopez and her twin sister, Gracy Garcia.

Bueno said Garza quoted Canales as telling him, “you (expletive deleted) with my client, I’m going to (expletive deleted) with you”

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All of these troubles, over a dog named “Puddles.”
Tale of Dead Texas Dog Bites Mayor Who Told It [New York Times]
Police report: Mayor’s attorney threatened D.A. [Alice-Echo News-Journal]

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