If you ever find yourself facing criminal charges for any reason, your best bet is to hire the services of a defense attorney. People who are not able to afford their own attorney are assigned a public defender to help them, but court appointed attorneys usually have immense case loads, a multitude of other duties and under-staffed offices. They are extremely efficient and will do everything possible to help you win your case, but appointed counsel will not have the same amount of time and resources that a dedicated defense team will be able to offer. When you are facing the possibility of time in prison, you want all the help that you can get.
Defense lawyers represent defendants who are being sued or face criminal charges. One of the first things they will do for every client is work with the prosecution team to see if a negotiation can be worked out to keep the case from going to court. This may not always be possible depending on the circumstances involved, but defense attorneys are often able to work out bargains to reduce fines or charges, obtain lesser prison sentences or alternative forms of punishment and do everything possible to protect the freedoms of their clients.
One of the most important things a defense attorney provides is knowledge and experience. They have spent years working towards their law degree and studying important legal precedents that may help your situation. The United States legal system operates under a policy known as common law, which means the rules that govern us all are constantly revised and overturned by judges. It is the job of a defense lawyer to be aware of important new decisions that may affect your case. Attorneys are also familiar with how the court system works, and are experienced with any specific policies or guidelines of the court in which you will be on trial.
After an attorney is hired, they will work to gather every bit of information about your case to determine the best plan of defense. This includes speaking to potential witnesses for the prosecution, hiring private investigators to take a better look at the details of your case and going through all of the paper work that has accumulated regarding your situation. When a case does go to court, an attorney’s job is to defend an individual rigorously to achieve the best possible outcome. In short, they diligently plan a system to fight against the allegations that you are facing and do everything possible to protect your constitutional rights.