On the winding Ohio River is a shinning city. In this bustling metropolis is a skyscraper. In the impressive building is a conference room looking out over the river. In the chair across from a frightened man sits a Cincinnati Criminal Defense attorney. This frightened man has told his fair share of lawyer jokes and has often ridiculed the profession of law. Today this Cincinnati criminal defense lawyer is his favorite person in the world. This lawyer is his only hope to get a normal life back.
This man made the mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with lots of bad reasons to be there. He didn't kill his business partner in a fit of rage, but somebody did. The partner was sleeping with his wife, embezzling money from the business, accusing his son of stealing, black mailing his brother and laughing in his face. He had motive and his DNA and finger prints were all over the condo. The partner was killed with a 9 mm handgun the same kind of hand gun that the man used on the pistol range two weeks ago. The prosecutor wasted no time in suggesting a plea bargain that would spare him the death penalty but put him away for life. The evidence was overwhelming. The lawyer suggested it might be his best bet. The man refused the deal, he knew he was innocent. The lawyer was delighted because he liked impossible challenges. The lawyer didn't ask if the man was innocent because he didn't really care. The lawyer knew the man would say he was innocent, he just wouldn't know if it was the truth or a lie.
A defense attorney sets out to explore the evidence and discover the weaknesses of the case against the client. It is a matter of reviewing the entire discovery and determining if the evidence has enough holes that reasonable doubt can be established. Most defense attorneys have to play a game of teeter-totter, balancing facts with supposition, creating possibilities, finding alternative theories and inspiring doubt. Seldom does a defense lawyer embrace a client like a friend or brother. The bond between client and lawyer is simple; help the client walk free or at least get the best deal possible. Can murder one be reduced to involuntary man slaughter? That might be a victory.
Sometimes, in the service of a client's interest, a lawyer will establish their own dislike for the client. They want to suggest that this person, no matter how unpleasant, needs the jury to provide blind justice based on the law, not on popularity. The man accused of murder is counting on his lawyer to turn an impossible situation around. The lawyer is tasked with looking at the facts, hard and cold and navigating the best path through the legal system.
A good lawyer will dig deep and pull the resources together to find the best information to present to the jury. A good lawyer will anticipate the strength and weakness of the prosecutions case. A good lawyer can mean the difference between life as a free person and death. If he lives, the man will never tell another lawyer joke.
