Self-Incrimination 101: L. Scott Briscoe’s Viral Facebook Legal Tips

Is your Facebook feed a prosecutor's dream? With over 20 years of experience in the courtroom, lawyer L. Scott Briscoe has seen it all. Known as the West Virginia Legal Eagle, Briscoe has amassed over 45,000 followers by sharing the hilariously dumb things people do to land themselves in jail.

How Social Media Becomes Evidence: L. Scott Briscoe Insights

The page started out of sheer frustration. Briscoe recalled a juvenile client who posted photos of herself committing trespassing and destruction of property on Facebook. All the prosecutor had to do was click print. "When you post your criminal acts 1, 2, and 3, they become State's exhibits A, B, and C," Briscoe explains. From clients on home confinement posting vacation photos to juveniles smoking weed on camera, the digital trail is often the smoking gun.

Humor as a Shield in a Heavy Profession

Behind the laughs lies a sobering reality. Briscoe handles between 25 to 40 hearings a day, many involving child abuse and neglect exacerbated by the regional drug epidemic. Since starting in 1997, his caseload has surged from five cases a week to dozens daily. He credits his dry wit for keeping him sane, stating that finding humor in a depressing grind is his "icing on the cake."