Being a lawyer, for the most part, isn’t that tough a job. Sure, you have to work a lot, and you may have some demanding clients here and there, but you’ll see that stuff in every job. Plus, most lawyers make enough money to offset those problems. But criminal lawyers have it tougher, and I’m going to give you two reasons why that is.
1. Criminal Lawyers’ Clients Have a Lot More at Stake
In even the most simple of circumstances, the criminal lawyer is facing a situation where his client won’t just lose money, but could lose their liberty for an extended period of time. For example, I know a Seattle criminal lawyer whose main focus is driving under the influence. Not only does that charge carry a maximum potential sentence of one year in jail, but it carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one day in jail. That means if you lose the case your client is going to jail.
In addition to that, most people are facing some long term negative effects from a criminal conviction. Trouble finding jobs, high insurance costs, and loss of important rights are all too common when convicted of a crime. Criminal attorneys are fully aware of these consequences and feel a personal responsibility to every client to do their best to limit these problems.
2. Often the Criminal Attorney has His Hands Tied
What I mean by this is criminal attorneys are typically placed in a position where their client is caught red handed. Picture the guy caught coming out of the electronics store with the television in his hand. When the case is cut and dried like that, it can be very difficult to find something to use to help your client resolve the case with as little punishment as possible.
It also means that criminal attorneys have to put up with a lot of crap from prosecutors. For example, that Seattle criminal attorney I know frequently faces some pretty strong resistance from prosecutors when trying to help his clients. That resistance can include laughing, snide remarks, and outright meanness.
In short, being a criminal defense is tougher than most other jobs. There are human elements that aren’t involved with most people’s day to day business enterprises.