AI Summary
5 min readThe After Show: "Come Home Safe"
Brian Buckmire, ABC News legal contributor and criminal defense attorney, joined Deborah Roberts for a conversation that ranged from the mechanics of defending the accused to the personal motivation behind his young adult novel. Buckmire, who spent nearly a decade as a public defender in Brooklyn—including three years on a homicide unit—brought a perspective shaped by cases he did not choose, not the high-profile celebrity defenses that dominate headlines. "If there was a murder on the top of that pile, I had to take it," he said. "If there was a rape on the top of that pile, I had to take it."
The public defender's lens
Buckmire describes himself as a "gold star defense attorney" because he has never worked as a prosecutor. Unlike many TV commentators who are former prosecutors turned defense lawyers, he spent his career inside the Legal Aid Society, the oldest and largest public defender's office in the country. That background shaped how he thinks about cases. For the most heinous crimes, he notes, defendants are often represented by public defenders who must "find a defense no matter what." The job demands what he calls "mental gymnastics" to construct a case for someone society may already have condemned.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:46) **Introducing Brian Buckmeyer** - Deborah Roberts welcomes ABC News legal contributor Brian Buckmeyer, host of "Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy," to discuss his work as a criminal defense attorney and the moral responsibilities of the job.
- 2 (03:19) **Brian's Background as a Public Defender** - Buckmeyer describes his nearly decade-long tenure at the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn, handling everything from misdemeanors to homicides.
- 3 (06:58) **Wealthy Defendants vs. Public Defenders** - The conversation shifts to high-profile cases like Diddy and Luigi Mangione, where defendants can afford top-tier legal teams.
- 4 (08:28) **The Elusive Nature of Justice** - Roberts raises the common victim complaint that perpetrators have all the rights while victims fight for justice.
- 5 (10:48) **Introducing "Come Home Safe"** - Roberts transitions to discussing Brian's young adult novel, motivated by his role as a father and brother.
- 6 (13:01) **Compartmentalizing as a Parent and Lawyer** - Brian explains how he separates his role as a defense attorney from his personal feelings as a father.
- 7 (14:55) **Taking Hits from Both Sides** - Brian recounts being spat at, swung at, and called the N-word by his own clients, yet still needing to defend them.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Deborah Roberts sits down with ABC News legal analyst Brian Buckmire to discuss his advice for young people on how to avoid becoming a statistic.
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