After Robbie ran away from the accident scene, he was chased by the police and apprehended quickly. He agreed to a breathalyzer at the scene, which showed a result of .02. Robbie was charged with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in serious bodily injuries and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Robbie feels remorse for his actions and is worried that he will lose his college scholarship along with his job. This scholarship is Robbie's only shot at going to college; no one in his family has even completed high school before. He has asked Attorney Collins for help in defending him on these charges.

Attorney Collins approached the state's attorney handling this matter and asked if there was a possibility of a plea bargain for Robbie. He explained that Robbie felt remorse, was willing to do community service, had never been in any trouble before and was a volunteer with a youth group at his church.

The state's attorney offered a plea bargain for Robbie of probation before judgment with 1 year suspension of driving license, 100 hours of community service and following reissuance of a driving license, participation in the Ignition Interlock System Program for two years. If all of the conditions of this agreement are met, the criminal charges will be dropped and Robbie can petition the court to have his arrest record expunged.

Attorney Collins has asked you to research Maryland law to see if this is a good solution for Robbie. You should research relevant caselaw and statutes to see what the penalties Robbie is facing and whether this plea bargain is advantageous for Robbie.

Attorney Collins always appreciates efficient writing. He expects the results of your research in a memo with a max of 750 words.

SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE

As an addendum to this memorandum you are to compose a note to Attorney Collins expressing your personal assessment of whether plea bargaining, in this case or in general, furthers social justice in the American legal system. If so, how so; if not, why not.

Form and Format Requirements

Provide a well-organized paper that contains labeled sections corresponding to the components of a complaint.

Use appropriateBluebookcitations for any sources utilized; when you cite case law please cite to the regional reporter, rather than state reporters and do not provide parallel citations.

FACTS

You are working as a legal assistant for Leonard Ross and Associates. The managing attorney and your supervisor is Casey Collins. The firm handles a broad range of legal matters. It is also involved in many community activities. Attorney Casey is particularly proud of the mentoring he does with his legal assistants, involving them in every aspect of his cases as possible.

Robbie Robertson is an 18 year old who just graduated from Montgomery County High School in New Town, Maryland. Frankie Franklin owns a successful flower shop called Frankies's Flowers, located in Columbia, Maryland. Frankie hired Robbie as a driver to deliver flowers. Robbie used the Frankie Flowers van, which is decorated with colorful flowers and the shop's logo to make deliveries.

One Friday, Robbie was planning to go to a pool party hosted by the Latchkeys, one of the Montgomery County High School families, to celebrate all of the graduates. Just as Robbie was leaving work, Frankie asked Robbie to make a last-minute rush delivery. Robbie agreed and then realized that the delivery was in the same neighborhood as the party. Robbie could make the delivery, go to the party and then bring the van back later that night. Robbie said OK to the delivery, but didn't mention the rest of the plan to Frankie.

Robbie delivered the flowers and headed to the party. The party was in full swing and everyone was having a great time. The Latchkeys were at the party and allowed some beer and hard seltzers to be served to everyone. They gave each graduate a glass of champagne and made a toast to all the graduates. After they saw Robbie pull up in the van, they made sure he got some champagne and was included in the toast. Robbie had a few beers and tried a hard seltzer or two before leaving to return the van.

On the way back, Robbie was texting some selfies from the party to friends and didn't notice a red traffic light. He failed to stop at the red light. The van ran into a small car which was stopped ahead of him at the light, causing a lot of damage to both vehicles. Fortunately, both vehicles were insured because the driver, Mini Cooper and passenger, Max Cooper looked injured. Robbie was dazed but saw a police car pulling up and panicked. Robbie ran from the police and the scene. He was eventually caught about a block away.

Robbie needs legal representation. He contacted Casey Collins for help. Casey has agreed to represent Robbie and had asked you, the firm's paralegal, to work on this matter.

References:

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/model_rules_of_professional_conduct_table_of_contents/

https://nala.org/certification/nala-code-ethics-and-professional-responsibility/

https://www.courts.state.md.us/attygrievance/rules

https://www.paragonbrokers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Legal-Ethics-Concerns-for-Paralegals.pdf