Few lawyers can claim to have helped free a convicted murderer from prison. Ropes & Gray Washington, D.C., partner Stephen L. Braga has done it twice, first in Long Island and now in Arkansas.

Mr. Braga, a white-collar criminal defense litigator, played a pivotal role in arriving at the unusual and unexpected legal maneuver that last week resolved the controversial case involving a trio of Arkansas men known collectively as the West Memphis Three.