Benefits of Having a Former Prosecutor as Your Defense Attorney
What is a prosecutor? A prosecutor typically represents the government and presses criminal charges against an accused individual or corporation. 1 While the prosecutor has the burden of presenting factual evidence to attempt to achieve a conviction, the defense attorney generally only needs to provide the best defense possible to assist his client. 2 An attorney familiar with both of the sides of a criminal trial is better equipped to defend you if you are facing criminal charges. That is why Wallin & Klarich has a former prosecutor and former district attorneys on staff as criminal defense attorneys.
A Former Prosecutor Has Extensive Courtroom Litigation Experience
An experienced prosecutor spends much of his or her career litigating cases in court. Many attorneys practice law without ever seeing the inside of a courtroom. Even for lawyers primarily involved in litigation, most cases that are filed are never contested within a courtroom and are settled without a trial. An attorney who has the opportunity to work in the courtroom, such as former prosecutors, will be better equipped to defend you should your case reach trial.
A Former Prosecutor Understands the Unique Processes of a Criminal Trial
Defending someone accused of a crime at a jury trial is a very complicated matter. A jury trial consists of:
- Pretrial motions
- Jury selection
- Cross examination of prosecution witnesses
- Deciding what witnesses to call in your client’s defense
- Deciding whether your client should testify at his trial, and if so, preparing him to testify
- Preparing and arguing the case to the jury
- Deciding what jury instructions should be given to the jury
When you select a criminal defense law firm to represent you, a key factor to consider is how much experience the law firm has in conducting jury trials. Having an experienced former prosecutor representing you will almost guarantee that your lawyer will have the prior jury trial experience necessary to provide you with the best defense possible.
A Former Prosecutor Knows the Strategies for a Successful Prosecution
If your criminal defense lawyer was a former prosecutor, he or she would better understand how the district attorney approaches your case. Firsthand experience of the other side’s perspective could be a welcome advantage in your case.
A Former Prosecutor is Familiar with the Decision History of the Local Court
As an experienced former prosecutor will have tried a number of cases in local court, and will often become acquainted with the various courtroom personnel. A former prosecutor may know the biases of a particular judge and how that judge has typically ruled in prior cases. For example, if you are charged with auto burglary, a former prosecutor will likely know if the judge selected for your case has been generally tough or lenient on those convicted of this crime. This will help your attorney advise you on whether you should accept a plea bargain or elect to go to trial.
Call Wallin & Klarich to Speak to a Former Prosecutor Who Can Help You
If you are facing criminal charges, contact our experienced criminal defense attorneys at Wallin & Klarich. Our skilled attorneys have over 40 years of experience successfully defending our clients facing criminal charges. We are confident that we can help you achieve the best outcome possible in your case. Our capable attorneys may be able to reduce charges to lesser offenses, or even have them dismissed altogether.
We have offices in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, Torrance, Orange County, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, West Covina and Victorville. There is an experienced Wallin & Klarich criminal defense attorney available to help you no matter where you work or live.
Call us at (877) 4-NO-JAIL or (877) 466-5245 for a free telephone consultation. We will get through this together.
1. [http://carrington.edu/blog/administrative/defense-vs-prosecution/]↩
2. [http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/the-role-of-a-prosecutor-and-criminal-defense-attorney]↩
