One of the most important traits a criminal defense attorney must possess is compassion.
Aside from the documents that need to be filed and the legal work that needs to be addressed, there are individuals that are struggling with their current situation and they are looking to their lawyers for help.
In order to get to the bottom of all the other issues, a legal professional needs to address these concerns and worries.
Building Trust It is never easy to meet a complete stranger and then hope that this criminal defense attorney is going to be able to handle the case.
This is an unknown person and for most dealing with charges against them, tis is an unknown and unfamiliar experience.
The goal of most lawyers is to start out building some type of trust with the client.
Aside from the facts of the case, it is important to get to know the client and how he or she views the case.
If an individual is so stressed out or anxious about the situation, it might be impossible to get the necessary information or even begin to create a bond.
Separating the Facts From Emotion When clients come into the office of a criminal defense attorney, they have worries about the future.
They are not sure what is going to happen or how their lives are going to be affected because of the current legal situation.
Those concerns and emotions often spill over and tend to make it more difficult to get to the bottom of what happened and create a sound case that supports the clients and their claims.
While compassion and understanding is necessary, it is also critical that a lawyer be able to lead a client through all of the emotions and into the truth and reality of what happened and what is going to happen.
While a person may be angry, hurt, or scared, those things do not have a real bearing on the case.
What does matter is what happened at the scene of the incident, how the law enforcement officers handled the situation and if there are any other parts of the circumstances that need to be addressed.
It may not be easy to keep those emotions at bay, so a criminal defense attorney must continually work hard to care for the client.
Patience is one of the key characteristics of a criminal defense attorney.
It takes time to develop a trusting relationship with clients and it also to help a person see the reality of the situation.
From there, it is important to help the client navigate the situation clearly, without letting too much emotion get in the way.