Today, Alexandria’s accused take legal representation for granted, but Kenneth Labowitz remembers the Alexandria legal system before Melinda Douglas. Labowitz said he remembered a time when lawyers representing the indigent were incentivized to have their clients plead guilty. There was one lawyer in the city who spoke Spanish, and when he wasn’t available to take a case with a Spanish-speaking client, the city would appoint a lawyer who spoke French because it was close enough. READ MORE