Criminal defense lawyers sometime get a not-so-flattering portrayal because people assume that they defend guilty people. However, if you are a defendant in a criminal proceeding, you need the assistance of a qualified criminal defense lawyer, regardless of your guilt or innocence. As the protectors and advocates of the accused, defense lawyers play a pivotal role in Canadian justice system to see that everyone charged with a criminal act has an opportunity to defend themselves.
This post talks about the importance of criminal defense lawyers, such as passipatel.com, in defending charges against anyone, guilty or not guilty.
For Protecting the Rights of the Accused
First and foremost, a criminal defense lawyer’s role is to protect the rights of the accused. Upholding your rights under the Bill of Rights as set forth in Canada, criminal defense lawyers Brampton are bound by law to assist their clients by making sure you are treated fairly by the Canadian criminal justice system. Specifically, your criminal defense lawyer’s job is to see that you are allowed:
The right to a trial by a jury of your peers;
The right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt”;
The right to a speedy and public trial;
The right to remain silent;
The right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures; and
The right to legal counsel.
To Defend the Innocent
The second most important role of a criminal defense attorney is to defend the innocent. We see daily about overturned criminal cases where new evidence verifies the incarceration of an innocent person who has served time as a result of an incorrect guilty verdict. And, while for the most part, most clients of criminal defense attorneys are somewhat criminally culpable in the crime they have been charged with, on rare occasions, some of a lawyer’s clients are truly innocent. Though a rare occurrence, innocent people are accused and convicted of criminal offenses.
To Defend the Guilty
In general guilty clients that criminal defense attorney’ represent fall into two categories:
Those who deny criminal culpability; and
Those who take responsibility for their criminal behavior
Most lawyers agree that the most difficult criminal client to represent is one that takes some responsibility for the crime as it is much easier to establish innocence or reasonable doubt when you don’t think your client is guilty. Facing ethical and moral dilemmas daily, a criminal defense lawyer must deal with situations where they have knowingly facilitated the release of a guilty person, risking their reputation and a clear conscience.
On the other hand, Brampton criminal lawyers get a great deal of satisfaction when their representation of an accused individual has a positive impact on society. For instance, when a criminal defense lawyer helps a client avoid more serious legal consequences by intervening in lives to affect positive change (i.e., plea bargains of rehabilitation instead of jail time, community service and probation instead of jail time etc.). As a trusted advocate, criminal defense lawyers have a great deal of influence on their clients’ lives as opposed to a judge, prosecutor or probation officer.