Being a criminal defence lawyer is a hugely rewarding job, but it is also very difficult and requires a great deal of skill to be successful.
There is a negative stigma around criminal defence lawyers due to the fact that their clients are sometimes convicted of dreadful crimes, but these individuals play a crucial part in maintaining the justice system within society.
In Scotland, anyone accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty, and every person has the right to a fair trial.
It is the job of a criminal defence lawyer Glasgow to ensure that their clients are properly represented throughout the legal process from police questioning right through to a potential court appearance and that they are never convicted as a result of poor legal practice.
Impartiality, objectivity, and integrity are key qualities that are found in all great criminal defence lawyers, but there are many more skills required to become successful in the role.
The very best criminal defence lawyers possess the following skills and traits that allow them to represent their clients in the best way possible.
1. Communication
Extensive knowledge of the law is invaluable, but without good people skills, it is impossible to become a great defence lawyer.
Criminal lawyers are working with a huge number of different people 24/7 and a different approach is required for each relationship to be most effective.
With their clients, lawyers should be calm and confident, explaining the situation they are faced with and advising them on the best way forward.
On the other hand, when in negotiations with the prosecution, or when questioning witnesses in court, lawyers must be assertive and even aggressive in their communications at times in order to get the most effective results.
Not only must lawyers have great verbal communication to argue effectively in court, but they also require good written skills to produce convincing legal documentation that needs to be filed.
For this reason, it is essential that lawyers possess fantastic communication skills that can easily be adapted and fine-tuned to fit each and every situation.
2. Investigative Skills
By talking with their client, and examining the evidence related to the case, a lawyer should be able to get a good picture of the incident or incidents that led to a criminal case.
No lawyer worth the name would take this at face value, however, and investigating all the details associated with the alleged crime committed by their client is a key part of their responsibilities.
By over-investigating every part of the case, a lawyer may unearth a crucial piece on information or evidence overlooked by either their client or the police that could have significant bearing on the case.
If a defence lawyer is able to find credible information that directly contradicts the prosecution’s story, or discredits key evidence, they may be able to have the case dismissed without their client ever seeing the inside of a courtroom, so the importance of strong investigative skills cannot be overstated.
3. Good Judgement
Strong decision making based upon often limited available information, or extreme time-restraints is a sign of a highly effective criminal defence lawyer.
Defence lawyers have to make judgements based on their legal knowledge and previous experience and advise their clients on the best course of action often at a moment’s notice, requiring them to consume and process information extremely quickly.
The recommendations and decisions they make often have major consequences on the future lives of their clients so there is a huge amount of pressure on a lawyer’s judgement, and if you don’t deal well under such conditions this is not the career for you.
4. Digital Skills
Gone are the days when lawyers could get all the information they needed from physical evidence and paperwork.
Modern defence lawyers need to have excellent digital literacy skills in order to conduct effective research using all the tools available.
Legal secretaries are fantastic at finding the information required but a good lawyer will have the ability to conduct their own digital research and being unable to do so is a major handicap in the industry.
5. Dedication
Being a lawyer is a huge commitment and not something that should be entered into lightly.
Besides the years of study required to become a qualified defence attorney in the first place, by committing to this role lawyers are accepting that their social and private lives may be disrupted by their cases.
Criminal cases are ever changing and require many hours of research and planning to be successful.
If new evidence comes to light, a great criminal lawyer will act accordingly at a moment’s notice, with the needs of their client at the forefront of their minds at all times.
Only truly committed individuals, dedicated to the pursuit of justice and maintaining the legal system are suited to becoming criminal defence lawyers.