Facts and Action: A Lawyer’s Priorities
By Peter Collins | Published on September 7, 2011 | 0 Comments
As a criminal lawyer in Sarasota, Florida, Peter Collins—principal of The Collins Law Group—says that his goal in criminal defense is obviously to effectively represent his client, to advocate for the client’s position. In a criminal defense capacity, Collins will be advocating this position to the government, to the judge, and to a jury. At first, such a task might seem daunting, but with the right approach the client can be effectively—and successfully—served.
A simple two-part philosophy leads Collins toward effective Sarasota criminal lawyer service: First, Collins treats his clients not only as legal clients, but as if they were customers in a business. He does his best to give them what he calls personal service—to make them see and feel that their case is the only thing that matters to Collins at that moment. Part two of the philosophy, however, is arguably more integral to succeeding in advancing Collins’ clients’ cases before the law: Immediately after his client’s arrest, Collins delves into all the investigative and deductive work the case will require. He learns every little tiny relevant fact, because a Sarasota criminal lawyer needs to be armed with these facts the moment he first stands before prosecutors—representatives of the government. With the right knowledge of the facts, Collins might be able to argue for the case being dismissed, and the charges dropped.
If Collins isn’t successful in getting charges dropped at first, the case goes into litigation, a stage when the Sarasota criminal lawyer will argue his client’s position before a judge and jury. At the beginning of this stage, Collins takes another opportunity to speak with his client, to get those same facts repeated but from the client’s perspective. Collins will also meet with any witnesses—and he won’t wait to do this; Collins won’t even wait a week. As soon as a case goes into litigation, says Collins, he’s dialing the witnesses to interview them on all they could possibly know. Collins needs to be armed with the facts.
Now with the case in litigation, the goal doesn’t change—it’s still to get the case dismissed and the charges dropped. No prosecutor is going to want to file charges they know they’ll lose in court, says Collins. Therefore, if his evidence and facts prove his client’s position effectively, the Sarasota criminal lawyer will very likely intimidate the prosecution into dropping the case.
Collins provides an example. Once, he was working on a criminal defense for a client whose spouse accused him of domestic abuse. This spouse alleged to the police that Collins’ client was physically abusing her. Collins’ own investigations proved otherwise. Through phone records and letters sent to his client, Collins ascertained that the accuser actually admitted that she started the violence. After he presented this information to the prosecutor, the case was summarily dropped. It had no basis; the charges were faulty. The case was dropped only 10 days from the arrest of Collins’ client.
The idea is that facts speak for themselves. Arguing can only go so far, but if the facts are there, they are the best argument.
*Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.