"He is very good at ferreting out what's wrong with a case."
Weiner's defense included pointed references to the fact that the state prosecutor was appointed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican. Dixon is a Democrat, as is every other elected official in Baltimore.
Stephen L. Snyder, a prominent local defense attorney and former Weiner partner, said that holding such a news conference is unusual and could be a hint that Weiner believes a judge will dismiss the case.
"Normally, you hear a defense attorney stating that, 'My client is innocent and it will be resolved in court,' without the attorney going into great depth about the misadventures of the prosecutor," Snyder said.
"Arnold's perception is that the prosecutor's case, after three years of intense investigation, is pretty petty and weak. He felt airing that out in the Baltimore City community would serve his client well."
Discussing his accusations that the prosecutor is biased against the mayor, Weiner said yesterday: "I thought it was fair comment. Prosecutors don't just drop down from the sky."
With a full head of white hair and a smooth forehead, Weiner, who is 75, could pass for a man 15 years his junior. He seems to possess the stamina of youth: last year, he said, he pulled four all-nighters preparing cases.
He took the lead on Dixon's legal team in mid-July, about a month after investigators with the State Prosecutor's Office raided the mayor's home. He joined Dale P. Kelberman, a public corruption defender with Miles and Stockbridge, to mount the mayor's defense. Weiner declined to say how much his representation is costing the mayor.
Weiner reads books on a Kindle, frequently consults his BlackBerry and works out of a suite of offices with exposed brick, steel I-beams and concrete. It abuts Woodberry Kitchen, one of the few city restaurants where it is difficult to get a reservation.
Weiner says he picked private practice over a career in one of the city's rarefied law firms because he can control his cases and his hours.
He has represented Oprah Winfrey (he won't say why), the Baltimore Orioles, a Ravens player, a racehorse and a man who was shot in the head by the FBI.
The only child of a grocer, Weiner grew up in Baltimore in an apartment on North Avenue above the store. He met his wife, Arleen, on summer break when he was in the first year of college at the University of Maryland. The two taught at the same camp - he was instructing arts and crafts.
