Key Facts
Biography
Richard S. Jaffe of the Birmingham, Alabama law firm of Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight P.C., has been certified as an NBTA Criminal Trial Specialist since 1984. He and his firm have represented thousands of individuals in state and federal courts and taken hundreds of cases to trial. He was lead counsel that led to the acquittals of 3 death row inmates by juries at new trials. He has handled over 70 Death penalty cases including 6 federal ones. For 14 months he served as lead counsel for Eric Robert Rudolph (Olympic bomber). In 2013 Super Lawyers listed him as one of the top 10 lawyers in Alabama. Mr. Jaffe served 4 terms as an NACDL Board of Director. Best Lawyers of America, on 4 occasions, including 2024, recognized him as “Lawyer of the Year” Birmingham. in either white-collar or general criminal defense. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) and author of “Quest for Justice; Defending the Damned.” (2nd Edition 2020 NACDL).
