Shawn M Hays was a young attorney fresh out of Harvard Law when he represented me from the Federal Defenders office in San Diego in 1990 . I was facing a very serious armed bank robbery charge and he did every thing in his power to see that I was properly defended. He took the time and made the effort to explain to me exactly what I was facing and it was quite apparent to me that he was my advocate, which is what he was charged to be. All these years later, I remember him telling me that I should use my time in prison to my benefit and that just because I screwed up, don't just throw in the towel but keep on keeping on. He made me feel as if I was a viable human being and that my life had worth, which can some times get lost when a man goes off to prison. Anyway, I just wanted to write this and let anyone know that is interested that Mr. Hays certainly did his job for me and I thank him for his words of encouragement as much as his legal defense of me.