“The stakes are never higher than when someone’s liberty hangs in the balance,” says John J. Dowling III L’20 of why he chose to become a criminal defense attorney.
Dowling started his criminal defense practice, Dowling Defense Group LLC, in 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduating from Syracuse University College of Law, he had opportunities to join larger organizations that would have initially been more lucrative, but he decided to blaze his own trail to gain trial experience as quickly as possible.
“It’s difficult to generate trial experience right out of law school. If you work for a big firm, it’s going to be a long time before you get to try a case in front of a jury,” he explains. “So I went another way and opened a law firm by myself, and it’s amazing. I’m so glad I did it, as I’ve already tried a number of cases and argued two cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals.”
Dowling believes that the advent of the plea bargain—which didn’t always exist—has resulted in less trial experience for attorneys. “Trial by jury pre-dates the American Revolution, and I don’t think plea deals are how the framers of the Constitution thought this is how it would go,” he says. “A jury trial is the spinal column of the criminal justice system, but it’s used less and less because the risks of going before a jury can be higher.”
His focus on federal criminal law is not often a common choice, but he likes the challenge of going up against the federal government, including the FBI, Secret Service, or IRS.
“It’s a huge process when the federal government comes at you with all its forces,” he says. “But, Syracuse Law set me up to be an effective criminal lawyer, and now I’m using those skills to help others.”
Dowling is thankful for the education he received at Syracuse Law, calling it “one of the best in the country” and noting the experience he gained in various legal externships, as well as Trial Practice, Trial Advocacy and Moot Court. He points to Associate Dean for Online Education and Teaching Professor Shannon Gardner as someone who had a big impact on him as she demonstrated excellence and professionalism within the law.
His law school education also cemented his beliefs that criminal defense attorneys are an essential function of the law. “Everyone deserves a defense,” Dowling says. “Whether someone is guilty or innocent, things need to be handled the right way, and rules need to be abided by in order for a fair system to exist.”
Many of his cases are considered white collar crimes, which come with complex questions and interpretations of the law. “Clients can get themselves into situations that weren’t nefarious, but the consequences can be devastating to their lives, marriages, finances, etc. And, whether or not the government can show proof beyond a reasonable doubt is not as cut and dried as people think,” Dowling says.
“White collar crimes can often be harder to figure out and more nuanced than violent crimes, but they still have devastating penalties,” he adds. “There are many people who are falsely accused or overcharged, not because prosecutors are corrupt but because a witness might be lying, evidence is presented in a certain way, or the government has taken shortcuts. Often, it’s the consequences of misunderstandings that put people in prison.”
He is pleased with the path he chose and finds his job as a defense attorney fascinating, interviewing witnesses, doing research, and demonstrating his knowledge of the law in front of juries, all in an effort to make sure his clients get a fair trial.
Dowling acknowledges there are a few cases he won’t take, but, he says, “I don’t struggle with what clients are accused of doing because I recognize that all people have rights. I’m not here to agree or disagree. I’m here to serve an essential function of the American legal system.”
