I recently saw a news article and photo of myself and my good friend and fantastic attorney, Brian Fahl, from 2007. (https://wislawjournal.com/2007/11/26/looking-back-at-the-ride/). I’m a little older now, okay a lot, and I’ll be the first to admit I’ve put on some miles since then. But looking back at those articles from the Wisconsin Law Journal, I’m reminded that in the legal profession, the mileage is exactly what you’re paying for.

In 2007, I was three years out of law school when the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in my case, Logan v. United States. At the time, I was an associate federal defender in Madison, and suddenly, I was preparing for an oral argument at the highest court in the land.

The “Absurdity” Doctrine

The case wasn’t just a dry exercise in statutory interpretation. It was about my client, James, who was facing a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence for a firearm possession charge. And I wanted to spare him what I thought was an excessive punishment.

The government wanted to count his prior state repeater misdemeanors as “violent felonies” under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The catch? Under Wisconsin law, those misdemeanors never even triggered a loss of his civil rights. We argued the “absurdity doctrine”—the idea that the law shouldn’t be applied in a way that simply doesn’t make sense. How can you regain a right that you never lost in the first place? (You can listen to the oral argument).

While my journey to Washington was a significant milestone for me, the real value of that experience isn’t standing at the podium in the highest court in our country —it’s the process -preparation without shortcuts. The months leading up to that argument involved five moot courts at Northwestern, Chicago, and Georgetown. It required an exhaustive review of every federal citation that could possibly impact the case. Brian Fahl, my co-counsel, at the time noted that by the time we walked into the courtroom, we had anticipated every question the Justices would ask.

That is the standard I brought back to Madison and that I continue to bring for my clients.

Why It Matters for Your Case

Most criminal defense cases don’t reach the Supreme Court, but for the person facing a federal investigation or a serious criminal charge in state court, the stakes are just as high. My approach to defense hasn’t changed since 2007:

• Anticipating the Opposition: I don’t wait for the prosecution to move. I use the same rigor to find the holes in their case before we ever set foot in a courtroom.
• Challenging the Law: If a law is being applied in a way that doesn’t make sense, I challenge it. We relied on the “absurdity doctrine” then, and I apply that same critical eye to every local and federal charge I handle today.
• The Advantage of Experience: Having operated at the highest level of the American legal system means I am not intimidated by the scale of a federal investigation or the complexity of a high-stakes case in state court in Dane County.

Twenty years later, the “Road to Washington D.C.” is in the rearview mirror, but the level of advocacy it demanded is what defines me and Coad Law Office to this day.

Contact Rick Coad today for a free, confidential consultation. Call us or have your family member call Coad Law Office to help you out. Rick Coad has been named by Super Lawyers as one of Madison’s best criminal defense lawyers for almost two decades, and by Best Lawyers in America in 2026. He will ensure you get your best result Give him a call: (608) 661-8080.