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Criminal defense lawyers can learn plenty from non-lawyers who courageously and optimistically blaze their own trails, stick to their guns in very challenging times, are resilient, and keep on blazing trails. For Fairfax, Virginia, criminal defense lawyer Jonathan Katz, Miyoko Schinner fits that bill.

Miyoko Schinner became a vegan, missed the dairy that she loved with pasta and other dishes, and became a pioneer with Miyoko's Creamery, which quickly went nationwide on major grocery shelves with vegan mozzarellla and other cheese, and butter. Along the way, and with Miyoko's rebellious streak, her company won a 2021 First Amendment-protecting partial federal injunction barring the California government from restricting "Miyoko’s use of 'butter,' 'lactose free,' 'cruelty free,' and 'revolutionizing dairy with plants' on the company’s 'vegan butter'."

Around ten years ago, Miyoko founded the animal sanctuary Rancho Compasión (here is the donation link), which thrives to this day with dozens of rescued animals, several staffmembers, and many students visiting throughout the year. She supports a support forum for women in business.

As Miyoko says, she does not promote veganism by such abrasive approaches as throwing blood, but instead invites people to break bread over delicious vegan food, creates vegan cookbooks, brings people on worldwide vegan tours, and co-taught a Berkely college class on plant-centric food systems.

When Jon Katz met Miyoko for the second time, at the 2022 Animal and Vegan Advocacy Summit, he did not know that she had been removed (or else was about to be removed) from the very Miyoko's Creamery that she had founded. Unlike Steve Jobs's revolving door with the Apple company he co-founded, Miyoko did not return to Miyoko's Creamery, and pivoted forwards.

Criminal defense involves plenty of thrills of victory, agonies of defeat, the lack of any supporters in the courtroom other than those on the defense team, and constant retooling, regrouping and refining on the road to victory. In this Beat the Prosecution episode, Miyoko talks frankly of how she emerged from being ousted from the company she founded (while her marriage was ending, at that), partly through the support and love of people who cared about her, and also from her companion animals.

This episode also is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijpVhPKWswI

This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://KatzJustice.com or contact us at info@KatzJustice.com, 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text).

If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675

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What do non-ego, blue jeans, and tireless work have to do with beating the prosecution? Join us as Fairfax, Northern Virginia, criminal and DUI lawyer Jonathan Katz talks in depth with Corpus Christi, Texas, trial lawyer Robert C. Hilliard, who was Jon's roommate at the Trial Lawyers College. https://hilliard-law.com

Bob got a man released from prison after over two years in jail for a vehicular homicide conviction, where Bob proved that the collision was actually caused by a defective vehicle acceleration.

Bob argued right up to the United States Supreme Court for the right to sue a United States Border Patrol agent for his cross-border fatal shooting of a teenager. Hernandez v. Mesa, 589 U.S. 93 (2000) (a 5-4 decision declining to permit such a cause of action for a cross-border shooting). Bob Hilliard pursues victory for his clients without ego, without airs, and with hard and smart work.

In this episode, we talk about being authentic and powerfully vulnerable, and about the connections we make with our loved ones, with each other and with jurors. We include discussing our late friend Dax Cowart, and Bob talks about how meaningful it is to have Dax's walking stick in his office. Bob and I have not seen each other in person for years, and here pick up where we last left off, as if it was yesterday.

This episode also is available on Apple podcasts.

This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://KatzJustice.com or contact us at info@KatzJustice.com, 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text).

If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675

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Afroman / Joseph Edgar Foreman turned lemons into lemonade (or was that Lemon Poundcake?) after police executed a search warrant on his home and were left without incriminating evidence, unless a few blunts is incriminating. Instead of complaining about that on social media and in letters to newspaper editors, rapper Joseph Foreman turned the camera onto police and included creating and performing songs about the incident, including his humorous "Lemon Poundcake" music video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xxK5yyecRo , featuring footage from Foreman's kitchen security camera, where he opines at how one of the law enforcement officers seems enticed by the lemon poundcake sitting out in the open. Talk about free advertising for the poundcake industry.

Granted that Foreman, after the search, also made comments about various police officers involved with the search that they claimed was libelous, but their umbrage even at having their lawfully videotaped actions replayed to the world comes across as hubris.

Numerous police officers as a group sued Foreman for defamation and privacy invasion. On March 19, 2026, after several hours of deliberation, the jury rightfully handed Foreman an essential First Amendment victory with a verdict in his favor.

In this Beat the Prosecution episode, Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz unveils the seeming mystery of Foreman's lawyer David Osborne, Jr. (at least for his having no website) and addresses David's hard work that resulted in this jury verdict that was by no means assured, based on the allegations of falsehoods being told by Foreman about numerous police officers. Good for David for focusing the jury on the very exaggerating way in which Foreman communicates, including with his flamboyant approach to dressing.

The bottom line is that police serve the public, and not vice versa. Law enforcement officers should be careful in seeking and executing search warrants, when considering the havoc and invasion of privacy that such actions can cause, and should consider the extent to which a search warrant will not uncover any illegal activity. Police should not seek to intimidate people from exercising their First Amendment-protected free expression by suing them for lawful activity.

The YouTube version of this Beat the Prosecution podcast interview is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h95QJickMw

Fairfax Criminal Lawyer / Virginia DUI Attorney Jonathan L. Katz pursues your best defense against felony, misdemeanor, DUI, drug, felony and misdemeanor prosecutions, defending in Fairfax County, Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William & Beyond.

Call 703-383-1100 for a free in-person consultation with Jon Katz about your court-pending criminal case. KatzJustice.com

This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://KatzJustice.com or contact us at info@KatzJustice.com, 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text).

If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675