In the United States, everyone - even accused murderers, rapists, and thieves - are entitled to a defense, and the state must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt before it is entitled to take away someone's life or liberty. As William Blackstone wrote more than two centuries ago, it is "better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer." Nonetheless, and even with the very high standard of proof required to execute or incarcerate one of its citizens, the state procures thousands of wrongful convictions each year. Accordingly, a vigorous defense of even the most vile criminals is essential for our justice system to function properly. Even acquittals based on "technicalities" - which are exceptionally rare and which most people do not understand - are essential for protecting our rights against unlawful searches and seizues.D.D.D. wrote:And your friend is a prime example of what's wrong with the world. Tell your friend once the rapists, murderers, etc criminals go on to be repeat offenders, have his money give him a hug next time his guilt tears at his conscience... never mind. Obviously he doesn't have one.chupon wrote:One of my buddies who after 4 very successful years as a public criminal defense lawyer, who now owns his own practice doing exactly that, has in his 9 years of representing the scum of the earth in America only had two cases where his "Client" was very clearly not guilty.
He frees the worst. rapiests, murders, ect. all on legal technicalities. Hates his life and job but makes bank doing it.
Bottom line. Lawyers and doctors can both be evil. But they can both be good too.
Or a less dickish response, money shouldn't be the focus of our lives.
(An example of a "technicality" justifying an acquital: A police officer - who does not like you personally - enters your apartment in the middle of the night without either your permission or a search warrant. He searches through all of your belongings until he finds some marijuana, at which point he places you under arrest. The court in these circumstances would (hopefully) exclude the "fruit" of the unlawful search from trial, making it impossible for the prosecution to convict you. Even though you actually possessed the marijuana - and are therefore guilty of a crime -it is important that the state be punished for the illegal search of your apartment. Otherwise, the state and its officers - which are likely immune from a civil suit - could conduct illegal searches with impunity.)
Moreover, defending criminals (which is not my line of work, by the way) is very difficult. Most judges and jurors assume that anyone arrested by the police is guilty of some sort of crime (or nonetheless worthy of incarceration). Second, the prosecution has the full resources of the state behind it - including a full-time police force - and as a result, has resources far in excess of even the most well-funded criminal defense attorneys. Accordingly, the deck is stacked against a criminal defense attorney at the outset, and as a general rule, only the flimsiest cases result in an acquittal.
Defending criminals is also not very rewarding. As illustrated by the comments above, most people have a very low opinion of even the best, most ethical criminal defense attorneys, and winning a hard-fought acquittal of someone you consider guilty is not a personally satisfying result. (Helping an innocent person avoid a wrongful conviction, however, is likely an execptionally rewarding experience.) Finally, criminal defense attorneys - by lawyer standards - do not make a lot of money. People who commit or are accused of commiting crimes are generally not very wealthy, and only a very few criminal defense attorneys make as much as their counterparts in civil practice.
Accordingly, please reconsider your position before you condemn criminal defense attorneys. As I stated above, they are essential for the proper functioning of our justice system and the protection of our civil rights. Moreover, if you ever find yourself accused of a serious crime, you will be very, very glad to have one on your side - even one who could procure your acquittal on a "technicality".
: Discovered I've reached the age at which fair/carnival rides are no longer fun. The rides suck compared to those at amusement parks, and the workers are all rude or grumpy. Oh well, my younger siblings thought the rides were tremendous fun.
