A big fear we hear from many clients is that they are worried about admitting guilt to a defense attorney. Your criminal defense attorney may not be able to continue helping you in the best way possible if they do not have all the facts. Criminal Defense Attorneys often do not know whether their clients are guilty or innocent. Admitting guilt to an attorney is the best way to start your case. Most criminal lawyers will never ask their clients if they are guilty or innocent.
Presenting the Facts
In all cases, it is the prosecutor’s job to prove that you committed a crime. They need evidence to support that. Your defense lawyer’s job is to prove that the case put forward by the prosecution is flawed and that the evidence is insufficient. Your defense lawyer works to gather evidence in your favor. They don’t need to know whether you are guilty or not.
Using the Truth to Your Favor
All criminal defense lawyers will want their clients to be honest with them about the facts of the case. They won’t offer you less support if they do think you committed the crime. It all comes down to what information the prosecution has and how your lawyer can debunk its validity. The lawyers themselves are broadly uninterested in whether you committed the crime or not; it is the jury’s or judge’s role to decide that.
Differences Between Criminal Lawyers
Not all criminal lawyers are the same; they are people, and every person is different. Many will want you to fully disclose the details to them, warts and all. This is because they can’t defend you if the prosecution surprises them with some information they knew nothing about. Other criminal lawyers will support you if you don’t want to fully disclose everything to them. They will only ask that you tell them the information that is relevant to what the prosecution might say in court. Some defense attorneys work on the assumption that everybody is guilty, as it can help them evaluate your case better. Understanding a lawyer’s ethical duty may help to clarify the risks of lying in a case.
Doing What Feels Comfortable
In the end, it’s important that you have a criminal lawyer that you feel comfortable with. So you should ask them questions about their style of work. If you are someone who really needs to disclose the full details of the situation, it would be best to find a lawyer that would like this level of detail. It is important to remember that in all situations and all circumstances, a lawyer must maintain lawyer-client confidentiality. Should you admit guilt, anything that you do tell them is completely safe with them and cannot be shared with anyone else.
