The job of a criminal defense lawyer is considered as one of the most overlooked jobs in the legal world. As a matter of fact, they are the professional individuals who stand by their defendants who are accused of committing any crime, whether it is a minor offense or the offense of murder.

Every person tries to hire an effective criminal defense lawyer who is capable of protecting him from being punished no matter how lurid the crime is. In every state, it is the right of every law-abiding citizen to hire an attorney to ensure a fair trial. The criminal defense lawyers try to work for those people who want to be part of a fair trial. However, many people represent the criminal defense lawyer as the villains of the society who assist the criminals in escaping.  

The cases related to a crime are the most sensitive type of cases, and these lawyers always work to make sure that justice is being served to everyone. As a matter of fact, a criminal defense lawyer is the only protector and the supporter or the person accused of committing a crime. When it comes to defending him, there is excitement, thrill, and pressure a criminal defense lawyer has to contend with. Hence, the job of a defense lawyer is not easy at all.

Why do many intelligent and intellectual people choose to become a criminal defense lawyer? How these lawyers actually work to win their case if their defendant is really a guilty person? What a criminal defense attorney has to go through during trial?

photo/ jessica45

Here we are going to share some of the top secrets of the criminal defense lawyers just to help you get the answers.

1.    They make a strong bond with their client:

The main job of the defense lawyer is to protect his client. His job has nothing to do with whether the client has really committed the crime or not. For a lawyer, finding solid ground to save his client from the life imprisonment or death sentence by defending him is very hard. However, these lawyers take their clients as a normal human and try to deal with them with a friendly attitude.

When the bonding between the lawyer and his client becomes strong, the client can trust on him and tries to share everything with the client. The bond between the lawyer and his clients is very important. Every lawyer tries to make the things work out by making a strong bond with his clients.

2.    They are watchful of the body language of Jury:

A concerned and professional defense attorney always tend to keep an eye on the jury so that he can see in which direction the judge is likely to fall. Knowing the inclination of the jury beforehand helps him assess how the trial is going and what can be expected from him.

The body language of the jury tells a lot about the final decision of the case. For example, if the jury likes the jokes of the attorney, he is likely to be on his side. However, it is not always true.

Being a keen observer of the jury not only tells the attorney about the decision that is likely to come, but it also helps him in adjusting his arguments according to how jury behaves. Sometimes, the attorney feels that juror is taking an interest in his arguments a lot. If he finds his arguments to be solid, he can work more on those arguments to defend his client.

3.    The criminal defense attorney stands close to his defendant

We often see the attorneys standing with their clients closely that we take as a feeling of compassion and kindness in the heart of attorney for his client. However, this is not the only reason.

Sometimes, the client needs extra support while standing in the court, especially when the juror is about to read the verdict. The situation gets very stressful, and the clients often pass out before the verdict is read. Owing to this, the attorney always stands close to his client to make him feel strong and protected

Sometimes, the attorney also needs the support of the client. While arguing, the client can give a solid point to his attorney to make the argument stronger.  

4.    It is difficult to defend an innocent defendant:

In general, we all believe that defending the innocent person is much easy and attorney of any level and expertise can do it. An attorney can feel more pressurized when he realizes that his defense has been falsely accused. It is very stressful for an attorney to see his innocent defendant being punished by the law for something he did not do. He sees the trust and the confidence of the defendant in the attorney dying out.  

5.    Public influence the ruins the case:

Sometimes, the criminal case draws the attention of the general public and media due to which jurors become aware of the people accused of committing a crime and other details related to the crime.

In such type of case, the criminal defense attorney has to be more vigilant so that he can see what the media and the general public are discussing the case. The attorney never forgets the jury set up for decision making is also a part of the public and its opinion is quite similar to the public if the attorney does not find solid grounds to defend the client.

While defending the client, the attorney spends a significant amount of time to convince the jury to look at the other side of the picture too. If he succeeds in doing this, he can move on to the next step, where he can defend his client.

For doing this, the attorney thinks about the areas in which he needs to work hard during the trial. The area of concern can be known by looking at what the public and media are discussing the case. He also tries to find those people who have a different opinion from the general public.

6.    The trial takes a long time

People generally show a lot of excitement for the criminal case, especially when it gets public attention. However, this does not speed up the case trial. It is very frustrating for a client to wait for the verdict. But, the attorney is left with no option.

The trials take a lot of time. They are accompanied with long arguments, statements of witnesses, and a lot more, which is somehow boring and frustrating. Not all cases take a long time to get finished. While many trial cases are ended in a week or more, the criminal trial cases may take more than 6 months until the court reads the final verdict.

The trials of criminal cases are long because the court gives the attorney enough time to prepare the defense. No matter, the defendant is innocent or guilty, there is a lot of preparation required to the attorney for saving his client from imprisonment

7.    Criminal defense attorneys are hated the most:

The lawyer defending the client who is charged with any lurid crime is hated by society. People take the attorney as a wicked person who sacrifices his morality and grace just for getting money. These lawyers get many hate emails. People also show disdain for them in many other ways.

If a lawyer defends his client guilty of murder, it does not mean he is in favor of murdering others. People should understand that it is the job of the criminal defense lawyer to defend his client in order to save him from the sentence of imprisonment. The attorney should never be apologized for defending a person charged with murder or any other crime. It is the right of every citizen to defend himself by hiring the attorney no matter he is an innocent person or a real criminal. The lawyer just works to ensure that the scale of justice is balanced and every one person gets the chance to defend himself

8.    The defendant may show animosity towards his attorney

As told earlier, the trial can be slow and time taking which frustrates the clients. The defendant waiting in the jail for his release may start getting the feeling of resentment for his attorney for not helping him out. Some defendants talk to the police straight. Some also write hateful emails to their attorney. Many defendants have also been seen writing complaints to the jury against the attorney.

The defendant does not always make confessions when he talks to the police or jury. Sometimes, he just does this to show express his rage and animosity towards the attorney who he has paid

Unfortunately, the complaint letters written to the jury against the attorney and the letters written to other friends and family can later be used against the defendant that ruin the case badly

The bottom line:

Just like any other lawyer, the criminal defense lawyer also faces a lot of hardships while he tries to seek a way to make earning.

Author: Michael Wright