No one likes to lose. It's just not that fun. When I lose, I feel like a chump, like someone got the best of me. And my natural inclination is not to let that happen again.
The problem, here, though, is that for some people, the drive not to feel the feeling of losing steers them toward not even getting in the game instead of getting good enough to go out there and kick some ass. And that's too bad.
Sadly, a lot of criminal attorneys have turned out this way. It's not easy being a criminal attorney. Though the deck is often stacked against us, the truth is the facts are often stacked against us. That means before we even get started it's like we are David facing Goliath.
Some people learn to laugh that disadvantage in the face and press forward trying eternally to end up like the fight in David and Goliath did. Some shrink away and take any plea deal they can squeeze out of the state. Who do you want as your DUI lawyer?
In the end, you simply can't be afraid of losing. Let your clients do that. It's their skin on the line, by the way. Your job as a criminal attorney is to walk into every courtroom and kick ass and take names. That means being the most prepared person in the courtroom. It means being a bad ass lawyer. And it means going in there, even when the odds are great and giving it your best shot.
Upsets occur every day in every profession. Why not criminal defense?
5.26.2010
5.09.2010
Criminal Attorney | Don't Be a Travel Agent
If you aren't a criminal attorney or a career criminal, you probably have no idea what a travel agent is in the context of a criminal lawyer. But it's important that you recognize there are people like this out there, and they are the last king of person you want helping you with your criminal charges.
Think about what a travel agent does to give you a good idea of what a travel agent attorney does. They help slick the wheels to get you to your designation. They hold your hand to make sure you have a good trip. That's exactly what a travel agent criminal attorney does. Except, the only problem is that the destination with your travel agent if you are charged with a crime is jail.
As criminal defense attorneys, it is easy to fall into that mindset too. Often we have an uphill battle. Often judges are ruling against all of our motions. Often jurors don't want to believe in our clients as real people. And it's easy to simply say "why file this motion when the judge is just going to deny it. I'll just imagine like I did and lost and try to plead this case out." We forget that when we started our law firm we did it to prevent exactly that.
If you are charged with a crime you need someone on your side that is going to fight to the death. You need a warrior. You need someone who is not only going to make the judge say no to your motion but who is going to fight like hell to get the judge to come to his senses and say yes on a motion for once. And there are a lot of people out there like that.
If you are a criminal attorney reading this post, don't be a travel agent. Don't give in. Fight for your clients, if for no other reason than it doesn't feel good to lose all the time. Make the prosecutors work. Let the cops know they won't get away with their crap all the time. Go out there and walk around like a trial attorney, and not a travel agent.
Think about what a travel agent does to give you a good idea of what a travel agent attorney does. They help slick the wheels to get you to your designation. They hold your hand to make sure you have a good trip. That's exactly what a travel agent criminal attorney does. Except, the only problem is that the destination with your travel agent if you are charged with a crime is jail.
As criminal defense attorneys, it is easy to fall into that mindset too. Often we have an uphill battle. Often judges are ruling against all of our motions. Often jurors don't want to believe in our clients as real people. And it's easy to simply say "why file this motion when the judge is just going to deny it. I'll just imagine like I did and lost and try to plead this case out." We forget that when we started our law firm we did it to prevent exactly that.
If you are charged with a crime you need someone on your side that is going to fight to the death. You need a warrior. You need someone who is not only going to make the judge say no to your motion but who is going to fight like hell to get the judge to come to his senses and say yes on a motion for once. And there are a lot of people out there like that.
If you are a criminal attorney reading this post, don't be a travel agent. Don't give in. Fight for your clients, if for no other reason than it doesn't feel good to lose all the time. Make the prosecutors work. Let the cops know they won't get away with their crap all the time. Go out there and walk around like a trial attorney, and not a travel agent.
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