What Does A Criminal Defense Attorney Do?

If you have been accused of a crime, arrested, or charged, a criminal defense attorney can help you to prepare your legal case and defend you in court. With the right legal training and experience, your attorney can help you make a strong legal case and avoid jail time. While many people are familiar with criminal defense attorneys, few understand what they do. Here is a look at what criminal defense attorneys do for you.

Gather Evidence

When a criminal defense attorney takes your case, the first thing that he or she does is gather evidence. Evidence can disappear quickly if not successfully collected soon after the crime. Your attorney talks to the police to get the crime report, looks over the crime scene, and collects evidence from your medical providers if necessary. To win any case, you will need sufficient evidence to prove your argument clearly. Fortunately, a skilled criminal defense attorney knows what to look for and how to get it quickly.

Interviewing Witnesses

Your criminal defense attorney will also interview witnesses. Witness testimony can change over time based on changes in how they remember the incident. Your criminal defense attorney will find the witnesses and get their statements as soon as possible to minimize any problems. Your attorney is also vetting those witnesses for giving testimony in court. Not all witnesses are credible or valuable on the stand. Your attorney can prepare witnesses for court or take their statement to use as evidence later in the trial.

Jury Selection

Your criminal defense attorney also manages the jury selection process. Potential jurors are tested before they are added to the jury. This helps remove jurors who have inherent biases that can hurt you during the trial. You will be present in the courtroom for this process, but have no involvement in the process so that you cannot tamper with the jury. You need a skilled criminal defense attorney to oversee the process and ensure that you are judged fairly by a jury of your peers.

Investigate Case

Criminal defense attorneys also investigate your case. By completing a separate investigation, your attorney can find new evidence that was missed and create a plausible defense strategy. To do this, your attorney must know as much about the case as possible. The more your attorney investigates, the more likely it is that he or she will be able to effectively defend you in court.

Argue in Court

The most important thing that your attorney does is argue your case in court. Going to court can be stressful and requires a considerable amount of legal process knowledge to navigate. You need to have a lawyer present to guide you through the process and make a credible case on your behalf. There is a lot of training and preparation that goes into arguing a case in court. Make sure that you have a criminal defense attorney with considerable training and experience to represent you.

Need a Criminal Defense Attorney in Montgomery County?

If you need a criminal defense attorney in Montgomery County, get in touch with the Law Firm of Andrea M. Kolski. Call us at (832) 381-3430 to find a skilled criminal defense attorney to represent you in court.