Cool, calm, and collected under any circumstances – that is how you need your Sarasota criminal defense attorney to be. When you are facing a criminal accusation and a potential trial, your emotions are understandably heightened. But your attorney’s emotions are not. That might make good television, but it is not the reality of criminal defense. Of course, your attorney is sympathetic and empathetic where you are concerned; you need that to weather this challenge. But when it comes to navigating the system, your attorney is the consummate professional, always thinking.
No one cases are exactly alike. It is a cliché, but it is the truth. Where does your best defense lie? It is your attorney’s job to spot the opportunities.
In one situation, your best defense may lie in the facts of the case. You may not know all of those yourself; in fact, you probably do not. Gathering evidence, arranging for investigation, and identifying potential witnesses are some of the ways your attorney establishes the “big picture.”
In another situation, your best defense may lie in the law itself, which obviously it is your attorney’s job to know inside and out.
It may lie in extenuating circumstances, which your attorney will work with you to establish, and with his team to present.
It may lie in exposing procedural flaws. Police often overstep. Chains of evidence may be compromised. It is your attorney’s responsibility to ferret out all these mistakes, which in some instances could completely negate the case against you.
It may lie in anticipating the prosecutor’s arguments. A criminal defense attorney who cannot do that well doesn’t deserve to be in the profession. And your attorney should usually have experiential insight into the particular prosecutor on the case – what strategies he or she typically uses.
It may lie in local knowledge, of not just the opposing prosecutors, but the judges, the procedures of a given court, the sociology of the town, everything that could pertain to obtaining the best resolution for you.
It may lie in jury selection, at which your attorney is an ace, a combination of poker player and psychologist.
It may lie in negotiation. Plea bargaining is often a real possibility, and in the worst case scenario of a criminal conviction, negotiating the most lenient sentence is crucial.
You would never be able to guess starting out which of these factors or in what precise combination would make the best, most air-tight case for you. But a well-chosen criminal defense attorney will find that case. It’s their job.
