Robert McKay: AttorneyHi, I’m Robert McKay, owner and principal attorney at Robert McKay & Associates. Welcome to my website “Reefer Madness”, a place devoted to the defense of people charged with marijuana offenses in Washington State.

I am a very experienced criminal defense lawyer. I am a longtime supporter of the legalization of Marijuana and am a Lifetime Member of the NORML Legal Committee. For over 19 years, my practice has been limited to representing people accused of committing crimes. Hundreds of those clients have been good citizens charged with the unjust laws prohibiting possession, delivery, or cultivation of marijuana. Those clients have always had a special place in my heart as a defense attorney.

Why?

Because 33 years ago, I was busted for smuggling ganja into the U.S. by the Drug Enforcement Administration. I was very young and obviously a lousy smuggler. I made a big mistake - I got caught! For a kid who’d never been in trouble with the law, being slammed to the pavement by trash talking DEA agents, being handcuffed in front of strangers at baggage claim in the Miami airport, and seeing guns pointed at my head as if I was Public Enemy #1 was the scariest thing that ever happened to me. I was told I’d committed a federal felony and that I was heading for prison. Thousands of miles from home and alone, I felt completely helpless and alone. I spent three weeks in the sweltering Dade County Jail lockup with junkies and thieves, watching giant cockroaches crawling up and down the cell bars.

I figured my life was over. But I got lucky. Friends back home ponied up money for an attorney, who managed to get me out of jail without having to post bail. I’d never had contact with an attorney before, but this guy seemed to be able to perform miracles. He was friendly and kind, and convinced me not to give up on myself. Somehow he managed to get the feds to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, with no jail time and only 1 year of probation. He even managed to get my case transferred from Florida back to Seattle. After completing my probation, my record in federal court was sealed. It was like being represented by the Wizard of Oz.

And that’s when I decided to become a lawyer. Because my attorney had bargained my charge down to a misdemeanor, I was able to get into college and, later, law school and eventually, the Washington State Bar Association. All because of a marijuana bust.

Unlike most attorneys, I’m here because I’ve walked the walk and talked the talk. I’ve been on the receiving end called “drug defendant”. So I know first hand that there’s no substitute for a compassionate, experienced lawyer fighting for you when you’ve become a victim of the War on Drugs.

And if you hire me to represent you, that’s exactly what you’ll get!