If binge watching How to get Away With Murder and Daredevil on Netflix is anything to go by, any criminal lawyer worth their salt must have a slew of skills handy to succeed in this cut-throat profession, pun intended. You must be smart, precise, knowledgeable, competent in martial arts, know how to bury a body – you know, the usual.
Jokes apart, the legal profession is a quagmire of obscure laws, complicated jargons and interlinked problems that most laymen cannot even begin to untangle. To novices like us, it seems almost otherworldly how those crisply dressed professionals navigate this world with ease. But like any other vocation, lawyers have their own tricks. Criminal Lawyer Mississauga provides some secrets that only attorneys, and now you, know.
Research
A huge part of winning any litigation is researching every aspect of it.Apart from having a complete understanding of the Criminal Code, a lawyer also familiarizes himself with the people connected to case. Who is the judge? Who are the jury? What witness does the prosecution have? Things like these sometimes make or break a case. In a courtroom, surprises are rarely good.
Analyze everything
From the minute a client walks into a room, a lawyer must analyze everything they say or do. People lie, that’s a fact. So if a lawyer cannot read between the lines and assess the situation he is not going to have a good day in court.
Practice your oratory skills
It’s not enough to know the law, you have to make the judge and jury believe that your client isn’t guilty. You only have your words to do it. However, if you do it right, that’s all you need. Empires have risen and fallen based on words alone.
Pick your battles
Contrary to popular belief, your job is not to get your client a Not Guilty verdict every time. Your job is to get them the best possible outcome, and sometimes that outcome includes some concessions on the defendant’s part, be it in the form of money, or a certain amount of time served.
Brush up on your negotiation skills
An overwhelming number of cases are settled out of court. Defense attorneys and prosecutors must come to an agreement before they can present it to a judge. A good defense attorney will always negotiate the best deal for his client.
Never divulge privileged information
A sure fire way to sink your career and possibly end up in prison is to reveal confidential information about your client. No matter how badly you want to discuss a case, or tell your friends about that one client, don’t. All those TV shows where a significant other suddenly solves a case that a jaded lawyer couldn’t? Remember, it’s not real.
Be sure to avoid conflicts of interest
The worst thing any lawyer can do is to provide any evidence of professional misconduct. A lawyer’s integrity is their greatest asset, and as such, it must never be misused. If you suspect there may be a conflict of interest in your case, refer your client to someone else. A client will not thank you for sticking with them, if they lose a case because of a technicality.
Every citizen has the right to prove their innocence.Our justice system isn’t infallible. And, as the plethora of faulty convictions prove, innocents do get caught in the crosshairs of the justice system. Thus, it is the duty of a defense attorney to help people where they can.In the words of Annalise Keating, “Let [us] help you”.
