Sam Silver Mentioned in Recent Article on William J. Barnes

Samuel W. Silver, partner in the Firm’s Philadelphia office, was mentioned in a NewsWorks article, “Attorneys Seek Immediate Parole for Man Cleared of Phila. Police Officer’s Murder,” on January 5, 2012. A team of Schnader attorneys, led by Mr. Silver, filed a 54-page federal brief on January 4 seeking the release of their client William J. Barnes from prison following his May 2010 acquittal. The brief maintains that the state Board of Probation and Parole violated Mr. Barnes’ right to due process with decisions that have been “arbitrary, vindictive and conscience-shocking.” After reviewing the Parole Board’s files, Mr. Silver wrote that the files demonstrated “that the Board has no intention of ever giving Mr. Barnes a fair hearing for his parole requests and that it will continue to deny him parole on improper, pretextual, and constantly changing grounds until 2030, when he will be 94 years old and will have served his entire term.”

A hearing on the brief, which asserts a concerted effort by law enforcement to punish Barnes for a crime of which he was found not guilty, is scheduled for January 31.