The Law Offices of Michael Eskander

The Law Firm of ESKANDER, ESKANDER & RIAD, Ltd. (E.E. & R.) was founded in 1924 by attorney Alfred Eskander, II, who was Egypt's Under-Secretary of Treasury (1919-1924). Eighty Four years of commitment to a just cause and offering premier legal representation to our clients are behind the firm's success and attainment of its stature as one of Egypt's most prominent law firms and a highly regarded legal authority within the Middle East Region. With its main office located in Cairo, Egypt, the firm has several satellite offices extending all over the country. Paying special attention to the Persian Gulf Region, an office in Dubai is currently undergoing final preparations before its inauguration in December, 2008.
Michael Eskander, the grandson of the firm's founder, Alfred Eskander, graduated from the University of Ein Shams, College of Law, Egypt in 1987. Trained primarily as a litigator, he joined E.E. & R. upon graduation and practiced in the field of international commercial litigation and business ventures. During his years of practice in the Cairo Office, Michael represented major foreign corporations, like ADIDAS SPORTS and LACOSTE , in pursuing trade mark violators, and banning trade mark piracy within the North Africa and the Middle East Regions.
In 1992, with the desire to bring new blood and fresh views to distant global markets, the firm's senior partners selected the United States to host the firm's first branch in the Western Hemisphere. Michael was assigned the task of establishing and managing the U.S. office.
Michael Eskander is skilled in the aggressive defense of complex criminal charges especially those with a negative impact on defendant's immigration status. His courage in fighting for justice, intricate knowledge of the law, and creative skill in drawing attention to his clients' positive attributes, gained him a reputation for being a daring and gallant defender.
Practicing exclusively in the field of criminal defense for the past 10 years, Michael developed and mastered numerous pre-trial strategies allowing for a favorable resolution of most criminal cases without the need to go to trial. Michael is talented in challenging and hindering unconstitutional police actions; such as coercive police interrogations, disrespect of suspects procedural safeguard, obtaining Miranda waiver and false confessions from innocent people, police strategically introducing the “good/bad cop” scheme in order to bypass the Miranda recitation, police use of sympathy and minimization in order to obtain confessions and waivers of Miranda Rights, and police use of impermissible techniques to break ones physical and mental strength.
Michael places the client's best interest as the ultimate goal for representation and thus believes that fighting with the prosecutor is only one of the tools available in order to achieve this goal. Certainly, going to battle with the State in itself is not his end goal and he picks his battles very carefully. Michael's approach in dealing with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office recent and ever increasing stringent policies bore fruit when he was able to obtain 2 mitigated and 3 super mitigated incarceration terms in a 5 weeks period during June and July of 2008.
Acquittals and not guilty verdicts following trial on the merits are quite common in his practice as well:
- State v. Soza, who was charged with aggravated assault, assault and disorderly conduct, the jury returned a NOT GUILTY verdict. When questioned as to factors leading them to that decision, they referred to Michael's animated abilities to assure them of Mr. Soza's position
- State v. Miller, who was found NOT GUILTY after being wrongfully accused of Burglary in the third degree
- State v. Avalos, who was found to NOT GUILTY following trial. Mr. Avalos was charged by the Attorney General Office of Growing and Processing for Sale of Marijuana in his home
- State v. Begaye, who was found NOT GUILTY of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a dangerous felony (where if found guilty after trial, prison would have been mandatory)
- State v. Dean, who was found NOT GUILTY of possession of dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia and theft
- State v. Prince, who was found NOT GUILTY of importation and transportation of narcotic drugs for sale
- State v. Dominguez, who was found NOT GUILTY of aggravated driving under the influence of drugs (DUI drugs)
- State v. Covington, who was found NOT GUILTY of misconduct involving weapons
- State v. Al-Amiri, who was found NOT GUILTY of sexual assault (rape), but guilty on the aggravated assault and sentenced to probation and 4 months jail (state's offer before trial was prison for a term of 15 to 20)
- Goff v. Burton, for prisoner's civil rights violations where Michael drafted the final brief submitted to the U.S. 8th Circuit Court which led to an award in excess of $100,000.00
- State v. Sheats, resulting in dismissal of prosecution with prejudice
- State v. Alvarado, who was found NOT GUILTY of aggravated DUI felony charges
- State v. Tapia, who was found NOT GUILTY of robbery, possession of dangerous drugs and aggravated assault charges.
During the years 2007-2008, Michael handled cases of 1st degree murder, sexual conduct with a minor (where a possible punishment is 35 years to natural life), kidnapping, and acquisition of prescription medication by fraud.
Alfred Eskander, the Firm's founder and one of Egypt's leading criminal defense lawyers prior to 1952, was a passionate admirer of President Abraham Lincoln. Michael inherited his grandfather's passion for criminal defense and for Mr. Lincoln. Today, Alfred's old office and furniture remain intact in his Cairo office. Mounted on the wall behind Alfred's desk you can see an old frame with the following words engraved in gold:
"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me."
Abraham Lincoln