The Role of Criminal Defense Attorney

In the United States, criminal charges are associated with a number of problems including penalties, heavy fines as well as serious effects on the individual’s professional, personal and social life. It is, therefore, advisable that whenever a person is charged with a criminal charge, he/she should seek the legal counsel of a criminal attorney.

This is because they have a good understanding of the legal system and can help in freeing the charges and or lessening the fines or penalties. Criminal defense lawyers are faced with a challenging task of protecting the interests and rights of the defendants. In a court system, the roles and responsibilities of a defense lawyer include:

Assessing the case

It is the responsibility of a defense lawyer to assess the case presented in a court throughly. He/she takes into account all the details of the case. They are presented with the challenge of handling their cases smartly even in the instances where their defendants are at fault.

According to Mike Schmidt, the defense lawyers are supposed to come up with suggestions that would be of use while tacking the cases Link:

They gather evidence and use it to raise defenses

Defense lawyers helps their clients to gather evidence that presents their side of the story. This can be done by visiting the crime scene to collect proof which can be used in strengthening the case.

Additionally, if there were witnesses, the defense lawyer is obliged to talk to them so as to gather valuable information. He or she is also obliged to safeguard the evidence to avoid such things as destruction, manipulation or theft. Thereafter, the evidence gathered is used to raise defense on behalf of the defendant. The defense lawyer use the evidence gathered help proof the innocence of the defendants.

Other defenses raised by the defense lawyers includes:


i. Improper interrogation by police
ii. Violation of the client’s rights
iii. Illegal warrants
iv. Illegal seizure and search

Representing as well as defensing their clients in court

It is the role of a defense lawyer to present his/her client in a court system. The lawyers are equipped with a clear understanding of the legal system as well as good knowledge essential in defending their clients. Such include a good knowledge of the laws as well as appeals that can be used in protecting the interests of a client.

Therefore, the lawyers are entitled to defend their clients during prosecution by use of their knowledge of the people’s rights. This helps them reduce or lead to a dismissal of their client’s cases.

Careful analysis of the case

It is the role of the defense lawyers to carry out analysis of the case in hand and give their sounds thoughts about the situation. They analyze the case by:

i. Pinpointing the loopholes available in a case and
ii. Formulating a smart strategy meant to help their clients have their criminal charges reduced or dismissed.

In conclusion, it is evident that a defense attorney plays an essential role in a court system including analyzing the cases, representing their clients, gathering evidence and assessing the case.