17 November, 2020
Perhaps one of the most thankless jobs on this planet is that of a criminal defense lawyer. Criminal defense lawyers keep their feelings aside and help their clients to come out clean. They stand by their clients regardless of the crime and work hard to reduce their punishment, and in some cases, even lead to them being acquitted.
However, more often than not, they do not always get what is due. And that is why when we say that it is a thankless job, part of it is true, and you know that. With the motto of shedding more light into the domain of criminal defense, we have curated an article that shall talk about the trade secrets of criminal defense lawyers.
What is it that they do? How do they go about their cases? We shall look into some of these answers in the article we have here today and give criminal defense lawyers their due worth.
Criminal Defense Attorneys Keep their Feelings about the Case Aside:
Like we mentioned earlier, being a criminal defense attorney is a thankless job and a difficult one at that. They play for high stakes and have to keep their feelings about the case aside. This is a challenging thing to do because criminal defense attorneys are human beings too.
They have their personal views and opinions about the crime and their client. However, they cannot allow that to be a problem. Some of the defendants might have committed heinous crimes. Yet, criminal defense attorneys cannot let that affect their case.
Hence, it is an extremely challenging occupation to serve. Regardless of the nature of the crime, they have to build a case that shall help the defendants serve milder sentences or even be acquitted.
Criminal Defense Attorneys Have to Bond with Attorneys Regardless of the Crime:
The second most difficult job of a criminal defense attorney is that of bonding with the client regardless of the crime. Not only does the attorney have to keep his feelings aside, but also bond with his client.
This is not an easy thing to do. However, reputed criminal defense attorneys, like that of a Chicago criminal attorney, have to acknowledge that criminals are human beings. They need to understand why they have committed a crime in the first place.
They need to understand the psychology of the criminals and bond with their clients. No matter how challenging this task might seem to be, they need to do it well. Every crime is driven by some psychology.
And even if the criminal lawyers do not specialize in studying about that, they need to understand the psychology of their clients.
Criminal Defense Attorneys Research the Juror’s Background:
One integral part of their job that they might not tell you about is that of researching the jurors’ background. It is very important that they know where each member in the jury come from so that it becomes easy to convince them.
A criminal defense attorney shall frame and design their case in a manner that seems and sounds convincing to the jurors. This too, is not a very easy thing to do. Every member of the jury is driven by their own set of opinions.
Understanding those personal views and building a case on that is not something that can be done easily.
Yet, criminal defense attorneys accomplish this very task and help their clients. When the case progresses in the direction of the jurors’ thought process, it becomes easy for them to connect with the client too. Criminal defense lawyers accomplish this very task.
Criminal Defense Attorneys Get Bullied and Get Hate Mails:
Another part of the job of a criminal defense attorney is that of dealing with hate mails and bullies days on end. It is not an easy job. They defend their clients who are convicted of serious crimes. Therefore, it is natural that they shall receive flak from media and several other members of society.
However, criminal defense attorneys deal with these mails every day and all the hate that they receive. Yet they stand steadfast in their beliefs and by their clients. Nothing can deter their spirits.
Representing someone accused of a crime does not make the lawyer a criminal too. Criminal defense attorneys understand this part well, and they do their jobs according to that.
Wrapping Up:
Being a criminal defense attorney is not an easy thing to be. However, people passionate about taking up such cases still pursue this field of work with utmost dedication. They might not be shown gratitude at every step of their work.
But these attorneys are an integral part of our society. They balance the scales of justice while defending their clients. Therefore, it is important that one understands this field of job and feel grateful for having them as the custodians of justice.