Dear Nick:

I admire a man who looks for a challenge and it takes it on wholeheartedly. It is hoped that you felt great personal satisfaction in overcoming the odds you faced. Your handling of [the prosecutor] (I won’t budge) and swaying [the] Judge [] (You’ve got a tough road to hoe) in the court was impressive. The judge was obviously also affected by your presentation. We would never have dreamed of this good an outcome.

- JF

Dear Nick:

We are writing to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the outstanding job you did for Jesse. It was so refreshing to see you, at the time working for a “big bucks” law firm, devote such patience and energy to Jesse’s case on a pro bono basis. We know you put a tremendous amount of time into this heart-attack-a-day case and proceeded through everything with grace, dignity and above all, dedicated professionalism. On Jesse’s behalf, and on behalf of everyone here at Greenwich Village Youth Council: THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

Dear Nick:

I’m just writing to thank you for all you done for me. Know [sic] one could’ve done better. And you’re pretty good at what you do. And it means a lot to me and my kids. I’ve had other PDs in the past that didn’t match up to you. They didn’t even come close. And I feel really good about having you on my case. It just seemed like you were there when I was real down and when it seemed like no one cared. You showed you cared about what happened to me.

- CC

From A Blog Entry:

Finally, the judge started the sentencing. He proceeded to describe my criminal history noting that I had been arrested over 20 something times since 1983. He wanted to know why I was beating the hell out of people for 20 years. I didn’t feel at this time that it was going good for me. My attorney, Nick Hentoff, was then given the time to talk for me. He talked about my background, my family life and quoted from the twenty five letters he requested that my friends, family and business associates write on my behalf. He even shocked me with his own perception of my character, describing me as the most motivated, driven person he has ever met.

I was almost ready to faint. My legs shook like a tree limb in a hurricane. My face was numb and I even think I was having an out of body experience. The judge then stated: “This sentence has a minimum of 14 to 18 months of prison time.” I heard my wife burst out in tears behind me. The Judge continued, “and/or probation. I sentence you to twelve months probation, 120 hours of community service.” Nick Hentoff earned every penny in that moment.

- DS