A criminal case is hard to face without the right criminal defense lawyer. They play a crucial role under the entire period of a criminal proceeding and they defend the person charged for the crime. Here are some of the work roles they play for you:
Case Assignment
A person accused of a crime can be in direct contact with the criminal defense lawyer or he or she is assigned one by the court. The accused may choose to request a public defender, of which the public defender’s office pays for. A public defendant works on the cases of the local court, state court, and federal courts. But if the accused feels they can choose to hire a lawyer from a private firm.
Interview
Post appointment of a defense lawyer, the accused has permission to meet the lawyer in person. In their meetings, they will go into details about the crime. A defense attorney will ask the accused the necessary questions about the case, get in detail about everything related to the case, and use these details to build a strong defense.
Investigation
For further investigation, the attorney is responsible to collect the case details, for this they might hire detectives to investigate the other avenues acquitting the defendant.
This also includes talking to the witnesses and collecting detailed information about the case.
Analysis
Evidence is important, they might make or break a good defense. Hence every evidence is deeply analysed by the criminal defense lawyer to carefully study the facts and come up with their defending theory on the case. The lawyer also has the right to independently test the submitted evidence.
Jury Selection
The defense lawyer will help you assist in jury selection. They might choose to remove cause jurors for the possible cause feeling biased against the defendant.
Plea Bargaining
Post analysis of the case, the lawyer will inform the defendant about their current chance of winning the case. In case it is very menial, they might suggest going for a plea bargain. If agreed by the lawyer, they will negotiate the terms with the prosecutor. If it is an accident case, they will also help you with negotiating with the personal injury attorney for clearing the case outside the court.
Trial Participation
If the defendant chose to not plead guilty, the lawyer takes further responsibility to fight the case during the trial. They will examine and cross-examine the witnesses and work on proving the jury that the defendant is innocent.
Sentencing
If the case is lost, the defense lawyer can represent the defendant during the sentencing phase, they can support the convict to convince the judge and the jury to reduce the time that defendant serves and suggest other alternatives of imprisonment.
