Lori Griebell: The Journey Of A Defense Attorney

AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE

The Journey of a Defense Attorney

Lori Griebell

The journey of the defense attorney begins with an education that requires good study

habits, good analytical skills, as well as the drive to complete the years of study required to

succeed. The schooling itself requires seven years of schooling, including four years of

undergraduate education and an additional three years of law school, before being eligible to take

the bar exam. All three of these requirements must be met before a lawyer can legally practice

law. Once this process is complete, the individual will then have decide if they will work as an

attorney for hire or a public defender.

Often
The responsibility of the defense attorney is to give the client the

best possible defense, make sure that the client’s constitutional rights are protected, and to

see that the client receives a fair trial (to the best of his/her ability). Just because a case may

be particularly difficult will not allow the defense attorney to walk away, they will have to

put a defense together and represent their client until the case is completed or a judge relieves

them of their duty.

There are several stages in the defense process. The defense attorney’s duties can start

as early as the time of arrest, but often when it comes to a public defender, will begin at the time

the of the arraignment hearing. The defense attorney will consult with the client, decide on an

immediate plan of action for the arraignment hearing and speak on behalf of the client in court.

Once the arraignment is over, the case will truly begin, and a strategy will be discussed and put

into action. The defense attorney will be responsible for preparing the case to defend his client,

communicating with the prosecutor (this can also be to negotiate a plea bargain), file motions
If an attorney is not

capable of representing the client, with the client’s interests coming first, a new attorney should

be assigned to the case or sought out by the client. The attorney is required to use all means both

ethical and legal to represent the client. They are expected to defend both innocent and guilty

clients by the exact same standards and equality. They are ultimately the key factor in the client’s

immediate and foreseeable future.

One of the most important relationships an attorney will have is with their client. There is

attorney client privilege, which prevents the attorney from sharing any information shared

between the client and attorney without the client’s prior approval. This again could prove to be

a very difficult position to be in if a client actually confesses to the crimes being charged and

provided details that the average person would never want to hear. The only exception to this

rule is if a client reveals information about ongoing crimes or crimes that may be committed

in the future.

While there are lots of key players in the justice system, from arresting officers to