Second Chances and New Beginnings: Ryan Cummings on Redemption and Hope

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Live in the Dream Podcast with Curveball. If you believe, you can achieve. Welcome to the Live in the Dream with Curveball Podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate, and inspire. Today we're going to be talking about second chances as I am joined by a criminal attorney and passionate advocate for second chances and managing partner of R Law Group, Ryan Cummings. Ryan has uh worked with and represented people that have had charges from the first degree murder, the various serious felonies, the DUIs and misdemeanors. And Ryan feels like one choice or one curveball or one bad decision. Shouldn't define the rest of your life. So through his YouTube channel, and through his educational articles and legal work, Ryan works to help people understand the law, make better choices, and move forward. So we're going to be talking to Ryan about his law group and YouTube channel and articles and everything that he's up to and gonna be up to. So Ryan, thank you for joining me.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Curtis, thanks for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Well, sure. Uh as you already mentioned, my name's Ryan. I'm the uh managing attorney and owner of RR Law Group. Uh, we're located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Um, I've been a criminal defense attorney my entire career. Uh, so I started that way fresh out of law school and have built the business up from there. Um, it's really one of the things that I've been passionate about as we've started. And I think you kind of hit the nail on the head is you know, it's it's something where I believe, you know, a lot of people deserve second chances, and one bad uh mistake or one bad moment shouldn't define the rest of their lives.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Well, I know that your work has put you face to face with people doing some of the hardest moments of their life. So what has these experiences taught you about human nature, mistakes, and second chances?

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Well, I I really think that giving people hope is one of the best things that you can do uh for them. Uh it's something that uh is actually one of one of our pillars in our uh in our business or or in our firm uh is safety, clarity, and hope. Uh the hope is really one of the biggest things I think that you can give to people because when most of the time when people see me, they're not at their best. They've had something terrible happen. Um you know, they're they're in trouble with the law. So to be able to give them some hope to say, look, this isn't going to define you for the rest of your life. This is not um, you know, uh an ending for you. This is just kind of a second beginning, and these are the steps you need in order to overcome that. Um, that's really what helps people get through this process is is knowing that you know there's hope for their future.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Well, I know you've represented I know you've represented people that uh have serious felonies to minor offenses. So what do you wish that the public better understood about the criminal justice system?

SPEAKER_01 3:38

So uh a lot of people see the the crime shows on TV and think a lot of a lot of everything happens just right in the courtroom and it's a big aha moment and you know, kind of a gotcha in there, but it's it's really not. It's more of a slow grind. Um, one of the things I'll tell tell clients a lot is you know, the wheels of justice move slow. It's something that can take months, some cases even years, in order to work through. Uh, you need to be patient as we're working through it. And because the the biggest thing is, or the the what you want is you want things done right. You don't want them done quick. So, really to have some patience as we're going through there, um, because the criminal justice system truly does move slow, and it is sometimes a painful process just going through it.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Well, many people believe that one bad mistake can permanently destroy their future. So um talk about um how you've seen people rewrite their story after one major bad decision or legal battle.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

So uh one of the the clients that I had, and actually I had him prior to even opening up my firm. Uh I had him with a with another firm, he was in a in a world of herd. Uh had gotten charged with a couple of different felonies, and and he had a past. So in Arizona, if you have prior felony convictions, that puts you in a much worse category than somebody who maybe hadn't had any prior felonies before. So uh he came to me and was looking at this a substantial amount of prison time. And by the time we got done with the case, uh, I think he ended up doing three or four months in the county jail. So a much better outcome than what he had expected. And and it was one of those ones where he had just had a baby, um, so that was new to him. And we basically sat there and talked about it. And he said, I, you know, I can't be getting in trouble anymore. I need to be here for my baby girl. And I still talk to him probably once every couple of months, just you know, sometimes it's shooting it, and sometimes it's just saying, Hey, what's going on? Um, he he's referred other clients over to us, but he's doing great now. This is probably over a decade later, and he hasn't been in trouble since. He's uh, you know, really, really been doing the right steps that he needs. And then recently, then we helped him kind of clear up his past so that some of the the legal troubles that he had, you know, 10, 15 years ago aren't following him around anymore. But to to see him be a dad for his baby girl, uh, or I say baby girl, she's you know 13, 14 now at this at this stage. Uh, but it's just it's that's really one of the most rewarding parts of the job, as well, is that when you when you do help somebody, because he could have he could have spent five or six years in in prison um and missed out on all of these opportunities and and everything that he did to change his life around. But being able to get him the opportunity to only serve a couple of months of jail and then to see him take that opportunity then and and really thrive uh is really uh the the most rewarding part of the job as well.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Well, just like you just talked about, you know, you not only want to defend people, uh, but you want to educate them. So talk about some uh common misunderstandings about the law that could prevent people from making life-altering mistakes.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

So, one of the things or one of the comments we get from clients a lot is, you know, well, I'm I'm a good person, I've never been in trouble before. And while that is uh excellent and obviously puts us in a better category, as I mentioned before, having prior convictions can put you in a much worse category. The problem is that most of the people that I see probably have not been in the criminal justice system before. So even just your very first time, the the law doesn't cut you a break, I guess is is the best way to put it. They'll still treat you harshly. Um, the it'll still be a tough road to go down. And and a lot of people think that, well, I've just I've never been in trouble before, so I should just get a break. And and not saying that they shouldn't. Um, I I definitely think that that would be one thing to change about the justice system is the ability to have more diversion type of programs, the the ability to have more education after you you get in trouble. And that's really where I think some of the problem happens is that you know people don't even understand what the ramifications are or what can happen until they get in trouble, and then they're forced to go through certain programs or certain um probation uh seminars, those types of things in order to learn after they've made that mistake. So if there were anything I could educate people on, it would just be what the law is, what the ramifications are, um, and and have them kind of have that foresight before they would ever ever need to call me.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

Yeah, which goes into my next question. When someone does walk into your office scared, ashamed, or feeling like their life is over, how do you help them regain hope and begin to make better decisions?

SPEAKER_01 9:08

So it previously I'd mentioned our our three pillars, safety, clarity, and hope. And the reason why we built those three pillars is because it's it's almost like a room that you you take each person through. So the very first room is safety. And the way that we help people when they're they're nervous, when they're scared, you know, they walk into our office is you know, we we say we need to give you some safety. And the way that we can do that is, you know, one, you we have attorney client privilege. So you're safe to say whatever it is you need to me, to my staff, to anybody that's that's working with us, and you're able to just kind of tell us what's going on. And a lot of times it's not just you know what's happening in the in the case, it's what's going on in your life, what's happening kind of all around you, because that often influenced your decision, and that's what landed you in my office in the first place. So once we give them that safe place to be able to shed their feelings and talk about you know what's going on in their life, you know, we can move to that next room. That next room is clarity and the ability to give them kind of a clear path. Um, and again, a lot of things happen, and you know, you have to dodge as we're working through the case, but to give them clarity as to this is what the framework's gonna look like, this is what it's gonna look like as your case progresses through that criminal justice system. Um, and and being able to have kind of that clear vision of what happens, that that really settles a lot of people because the fear of the unknown is is probably one of the worst fears that people get. And just thinking because your mind then immediately goes to worst case scenario. And when you're thinking in worst case scenario, that's that's just not a good place to be. So when we can tell you clearly this is what it's going to look like, you know, that helps people a lot. And then we move to our final room, that the room of hope. And that's that that room where we say, look, you know, no matter what we're doing here, no matter what's happening here, you know, you have the ability to make those changes in your life. You have the ability to move forward, and there's hope for your future. And that's where we walk our clients through that that that client cycle of you know safety, clarity, and hope. And most people uh find find that very comforting.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

Well, what's what separates someone who gets stuck in a cycle of bad decisions versus someone who uses that moment to create a turning point for a better future?

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Oftentimes it's it's going back to some of the same the same things in their life. Um, and that's why I say sometimes we'll ask people about what's going on in your life. Because if if uh if I'm going on a weight loss journey, well, this is something that's probably more applicable to people than talking, talking to me. So but if but if I'm trying to lose weight and I go to a gym and or I do a 30-day detox at a at a resort, and I go and get all that, and I lose 20 pounds, and then I come back home and my pantry is stocked full of chips and sweets and and you know, cakes and you know, all and candy and all of that stuff that's not good for me. Well, I'm probably gonna go back to making those same decisions, and I'm gonna go back and I'm gonna start eating that, and I'm gonna gain all of all of that weight that I lost over that 30-day period. So, you know, oftentimes I'll talk to people about you know moving, even moving locations. Sometimes they'll not even just be in Arizona anymore, they'll they'll move to Colorado, they'll move to California, they'll move to Texas, and they'll just get out of the environment completely. And obviously, each case is different and each scenario is different. Um, but if you go back to some of those same decision points that you've been making and you continue to make those same decisions that led you up to the case that brought you to see me, well, that's gonna put you right back in that cycle. So you have to do something that'll change that cycle. So, you know, in my uh analogy, if I go to that weight loss 30 days and then I come home and I clean out my pantry and I throw everything away, and then I make the decision not to buy those things again when I go to the store, I'm gonna set myself up much better for success than if I would have just left my pantry filled with the sweets and the sugars and everything else, it would be bad for me.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

So for someone listening right now who might feel defined by their past, what is uh what would you say to them? Uh what what was what would be your advice to them?

SPEAKER_01 13:44

It's it's tough, you know, and and because it's it's tough and and looking back is always easier than looking forward. Uh there is one quote, I don't know where I got it. I've I've been saying it for years, and uh I know I didn't make it up, so I got it from somewhere, but uh it was it was that every every sinner has a future and every saint has a past. Uh and I think that that really kind of envelops uh a lot of people that I see because it's like, look, don't let this one moment define you. You know, everybody's got something in their past that that you know they're not happy with or they wish they could change. You know, it may be minor, maybe major, but you know, everybody's got something in there that they say, man, I wish I would have made a different decision on them. It's it's really easy to look back and be hard on yourself for making those decisions. So to be able to forgive yourself and say, hey, I made that decision, I'm not going to make that decision again, that's what makes you different than the person that made that decision in the beginning.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Talk about your YouTube channel and your um educational articles. You you know, tell the listeners about that and tell them about that uh YouTube channel and where we can check it out at.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

Certainly. So the YouTube channel's the brother-in-law. Um, so kind of where this all came about was um, or I'm sorry, it's brother, brother at law. Um, so it kind of coined from the term brother-in-law, whereas you know, it's somebody who's in in your family but is not blood related, uh, that you talk to, you see them at the barbecue, you know, you see them at the at the pool, uh, somebody that you can just ask questions to and maybe get some advice from. And so the the theory behind the the channel is you know, people can submit their own questions, questions they have about the law. Um, and and it's not me necessarily giving legal advice because some of the questions will come from out of state and I'm not licensed in member states, but you know, they can ask questions and it's just a way to educate you about the law, or or some people have specific questions, and it would be just like if you saw me on you know at the grocery store and you stopped me and said, you know, hey, hey Ryan, I've got this question for you. The the whole premise behind it was you know making access to an attorney to ask questions a lot easier and and a lot less stuffy. So a lot of times, even you'll see me in my polo rather than uh you know a suit and tie, and because I want to make it more approachable and the ability to educate people, because if if through education, you know, crime goes down, or or you stop one person from making that bad mistake, you never know what that ripple effect looks like down the future. So it's it's really about education and just letting people know uh what information is out there. And I think in this age, you know, especially now with AI and everything else that's going on, you know, being able to get good information is important. And the the channel is geared towards trying to get that information out to everyday people that may have questions and may not come up. Because if I can answer your question on a YouTube channel and you don't have to come sit in my office because you you caught a case uh and are asking me the same question, then I'd much rather that happen.

SPEAKER_00 16:59

Tell us about any upcoming projects that you and your firm are working on that to be aware of.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

So we're we're really working towards um bringing in our our audience and kind of redefining where we're at with our team. A lot of my team members have been with me for for many years. Um, so we're a smaller team. We're going to be expanding soon. Um, but really it's that outreach, the ability to kind of reach out to people. And as my kids are getting older, um I've really seen uh a lot of juvenile cases uh that we're looking to try and help out on. And I think again, educating not only the kids, but the parents as well, as to these are the things you should be looking out for. So, you know, we're looking to try and build some outreach in the communities uh through some schools, uh, through some like boys and girls education or organizations, uh just some different areas in which we can reach people and just educate them or provide them with that ability to ask questions, because uh that's really where you can have the biggest effect on somebody is if I can stop a 17-year-old kid from you know doing something. And one example would be I you know, I had a 16-year-old client that you know unfortunately ran a stop sign and got got hit and one of his passengers died. And I mean, that's a life-changing experience, uh regardless of the of the criminal implications, you know, that the emotional, the psychological implications that happen on that, uh, or the effect that that'll have on that that kid for the rest of his life are profound. And the the outreach that we're trying to do that is just education, because it, you know, 16, 17 years old, uh you know, the kids do something dumb, they think it's funny, and they don't they don't really think about what those lifelong implications could be. So we're trying to get some outreach into the community and and do some do some more work in the community, especially with youth.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

So listeners can keep up with everything that you're up to. So at your contact info.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

So we can be found at rrlawaz.com. That's our uh that's our website. All of our channels can be reached out through there. So on on YouTube, uh the brother at law channel, or you just search RR Law uh through there, and then our Instagram handles at RR Law Group, uh, and and we post there pretty regularly as well. But if you go to our main website, it it has links then to uh to all of our to Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and uh and Instagram on there.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

We'll close us out with some final thoughts. Maybe if that was something I forgot to talk about that you would like to touch on any final thoughts you have for the listeners.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Sure. So um I I think don't be afraid to question. That's that's really the the best thing to be able to do is to question and not just you know what's going on in your surroundings there, but what's going on in your life. Um, if you have questions, you know, reach out to us again. Like we said with the Brother at Law uh channel, you know, we're happy to answer any questions. Um, but but be aware. You know, a lot of times uh clients that will have don't even realize that what they were doing is breaking the law. Um, so you know, awareness is key, knowledge of what you're doing, and then you know, don't be afraid or don't be ashamed of of past mistakes. Um that's really I think kind of the key. I know we've hit on it earlier, but I I think that it's it's really the key before you know ahead is you know try and focus on that future you uh and try not to dwell on the past. Um, I think that really will help the the world move forward.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

Ladies and gentlemen, if you are somebody you know, want a better understanding, or our channel where you can submit your questions and ask ask questions about the law, brother at law is a YouTube channel, and our law aznzebra.com is the website. So follow rate review, share this episode to as many people as possible. Also, to keep up with all things living the dream, please share, visit www.curveball337.com. Thank you for listening and supporting the show. And Ryan, thank you for all that you're doing, and thank you for joining me.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Thanks, sir. Thanks again for having me.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

For more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball Podcast, visit www.curveball337.com. Until next time, keep living the dream.