In any given case, there are a number of roles that are criminal defense lawyer plays. Criminal lawyers represent the defendant in a case therefore they act as the individual’s advisor. He/she is the defendant’s confidante as well as their champion. All defendants have the right to seek legal advice under the law regardless of whether they can afford an attorney or not. As per the United States Judicial System, the accused is considered innocent until such time that they are proven guilty.
Once you find a criminal defense attorney in Santa Barbara who agrees to take your case, you must be sure of the tasks that he/she must perform in order to do their job properly. The role played by the lawyer in the life of a defendant is great and therefore you need to know what it is you require from them. The criminal defense attorney’s main role is to defend the individual who has been accused of committing the crime. Immense responsibility is attached to the duties performed by such a lawyer because he is required to represent the best interests of his client.
Another one of the criminal defense lawyer’s roles or duties is to interact with the client. Their first task is to meet with the defendant to discuss the case in question. In the event where the defendant has been put in jail, the lawyer must visit the client in that jail to discuss the details of the case. This is mostly what happens when it comes to criminal cases because the defendant is often taken into custody for a period as they await the setting of the trial date.
A Criminal defense attorney in Santa Barbara is also required to conduct case management. Case management is an important element in any defense lawyer’s work and it involves a large number of activities. Some of these activities include indexing exhibits (if there are any), organizing the documents that are relevant to the case and reviewing correspondence that pertains to the case. All these activities are essential to the proper defense of the client.
Preparation for pleading is another task that must be performed by your criminal defense attorney. In criminal cases, many pleadings, including answers to filed complaints, pre-trial briefs and the discovery, must be prepared by the defense. It is mandatory for the lawyer to provide copies of all the relevant documents to the court and to the prosecutor. In most criminal cases, the criminal defense lawyer will try and negotiate the best deal for the defendant. This is to ensure that the defendant gets a lighter sentence. When the plea bargain is offered by the prosecution, it is the lawyer’s duty to present it to the client.
Finding a criminal defense attorney Santa Barbara who will act as your advocate in a criminal case can be a daunting task. To find more information and resources.
