To become a criminal defense lawyer, you have to study hard about laws in your state and making sure to pass the board exams for acquiring a license, which will be the key to practice your profession. If you are going to simply look things that way, then you will say that it is easy, but without going deeper and finding out how things are before they reach this point, where they are now, you won’t see how much they deserve it. You will go through a lot of studies, sleepless nights and other sacrifices just to be a successful lawyer.
Even before accepting the first client, he had gone through a lot of trainings, seminars and conferences just to learn more from different speakers, who excels in criminal law. He must be exposed to various criminal cases before practicing his profession under a public or private law office. Through these ways, he will be able to learn and master the strategies that most attorneys are applying, when his client is on trial in the municipal or regional trial courts of the state.
In this profession, he will not enter the trial court without a weapon because he has already planned and prepared various criminal defense attorney strategies to use. These might just be the usual techniques, but an expert will not even think about using one when he is not confident about it. Therefore, if you would like to apply different strategies, while your client’s case is on trial, then you have to learn about this to know, which one is most applicable for each circumstance because this will help in winning a criminal case.
Police Misconduct
It was very unfortunate for some officials to commit a misconduct, while conducting an investigation. Because of this, the police officer will have to cover up this error. Therefore, they may sometimes be convinced that the suspect is the real culprit or it may come out that they are a part of the misconduct and through this, there would be a good case.
The police transgression may come in different forms. This includes, lying about the data, regarding the reports or testimonies; inappropriately handling, fabricating or planting of the proof; using avoidable powers on the subjects; and forcing the witnesses as well as the suspects. You have civil rights and such misconducts may lead to leverage and claim for damages, since your case will be dismissed.
False confessions
There are instances, where the police officers take innocent suspects in. Some of them used various psychological strategies as well as physical intimidations, hunger, and lack of sleep.
Now, if the attorney can show a proof of intimidation, then a case can be made. This will greatly help in making the party win.
Plea of insanity
In most instances, the accused will not be found guilty, if he is legally insane during the time when the crime was committed because there is no intention and willingness to do such act. In fact, this known as the M’Naghten or McNaughton Rule, which was derived from a Scottish wood turner named, Daniel M’Naghten, who suffered from a certain condition called, paranoid delusions and murdered someone, while in that state.
The plea of insanity could be a cover and used as a strategy when the accused has no understanding of the nature and wrongness of his action. Though this is not accepted in some states, such as Idaho, Utah, Montana and Kansas. However, in other jurisdictions, the accused will have to perform tests like the Model Penal Code or Irresistible Impulse Tests and the Durham or M’Naghten Rule for further investigation. Anyway, check out https://law.jrank.org/pages/8620/M-Naghten-Rule.html for more information on this rule.
Self-defense
The castle doctrine rights or self-defense is another strategy that is commonly used in most criminal cases. In fact, an accused can be found not guilty because of this, but the experts have to prove it well. I guess, this would be easy for a good lawyer, so you should find him.
With this technique, a person, who hurt or injured someone, using a deadly weapon or force, can be turned out as an act if self-defense. However, this will depend on the situation. For example, when an intruder came to your property, you fear that this person may harm you, so it is reasonable to attack him.
Therefore, your action will obviously be valid against a crime. Actually, when we are in danger, it is normal for us to fight just to escape from the situation. When nobody is around and your life is at risk, there is nobody who can help, but yourself, anyway.
False facts
It would be good to use the false facts technique during the case because it could be a good alibi that may lead to the dismissal. Let’s say that you took another person’s property, but you have to make the jury believe that it was an accident because you thought that it belongs to you.
Well, this may sound odd because after such action, you will say that it was an error. But as long as it was an honest mistake and there is no intention to do the crime, then the trial court will be in favor of you and will be found not guilty.
Actually, this circumstance really happens under an unexpected situation. We cannot allow someone to spend some time in jail when he did not really mean it. Though sometimes, it has to be that way, especially when the lawyer is good enough to prove that his client has no unlawful intention against the other party.