There are many roles to be fulfilled by a criminal defense attorney right from the assignment of a case until the final sentencing. He is primarily responsible for the future of the person being defended. He has the right to speak on behalf of his client. Fulfilling different tasks, the schedule of any lawyer is hectic with everything officially fulfilled and communicating with the opposition as well. He has to be well spoken and qualified in order to fulfill all these activities because eventually what matters is how he represents the case. Following are some basic step-by-step tasks whenever someone approaches the criminal defense attorney to take their case.
Case assignment
The criminal defense attorney can be directly contacted or the court might assign one. Some defense lawyers are public defenders only hired by the court to be appointed in some local, state or federal cases. Some are hired by private firms and some have their independent legal office that they manage themselves. Public defenders have a relatively lower salary and higher workload because they are referred by the court.
Interview the client
The lawyer than meets with the client personally and interviews him/her with all possible doubts. This process includes asking specific questions about the case and some personal information to know more about the reasons behind. After this task, the strengths and weaknesses are almost known depending upon the quality of the lawyer you have hired.
Investigation about the case
After clearing all the doubts with the criminal defendant, the lawyer further investigates the case to save the defendant from any guilt. This task involves many further responsibilities including questioning the police about the methods implemented used to reveal the case. The lawyer may also talk to the witnesses having considerable information. In short, the lawyer has to accumulate as much information about the case as possible to plan a strong defending framework. The investigation also includes the right of the lawyer to review the prosecution’s case before submitting it to the jury.
Analyzing the evidence
The examination of all the evidence presented in the court must be analyzed by the lawyer to study the facts and theories of the case in detail. They might also have the evidence tested freely outside the court. The evidence is accurately analyzed to find any more defending options if possible.
Regular contact with the client
The case might bring lots of information but not immediately. So, regular contact with the client is important to unfold the case day by day. Also, it is the duty of the lawyer to keep all the conversations with the client confidential. The lawyer makes every effort to make the client more aware of the consequences of particular steps.
Selection of the jury
The criminal defense lawyer in Austin might also have a say in choosing the jury. The selection is done on the basis of biases of some or not being well equipped with the matter.
Participation in the trial
The lawyer makes every effort for his client during the trial. He cross-examines the witnesses and the case again to try and convince the jury in their favor. It is the duty of the lawyer to remind the jury if the prosecution has failed to produce any evidence.
Sentencing
If the criminal defendant has been proven guilty of any crime for whatever reason, the lawyer can also represent the case while the defendant is in the punishment phase. He might also convince to reduce the period of sentence and/or discuss all the possible alternatives for incarceration.
