Great criminal defence lawyers have a great team of experts to co-operate on the defence

Every music band has a leading voice, every orchestra has a conductor. The one that everybody remembers and the most recognisable among the group. That person guides the entire band to tremendous success and often gets all the credit for all the collective work. That same leading voice, will not make it into the industry without a great bass player, an experienced drummer and an amazing guitarist. No better comparison can be made when it comes to criminal defence.

Barristers and solicitors go to the courtroom and use their charming voices and eloquent speeches as part of the strategy to win a certain case. But behind such speech, there are several professionals in different areas of expertise, working day and night, to provide evidence, precedents, opinions and theories to back up every word that comes out of these leading lawyers.

The best criminal defence lawyers in the business have the best team of barristers, solicitors, legal researchers, criminologists and experts in almost every field, working alongside to reinforce legal defence cases and theories. They are truly, the cornerstone of every legal team, making it easier for the leading lawyer to do their job.

What are some of the roles of these team experts?

A great criminal defense team works like a perfectly synchronized machine. Every person in the team has a certain task and they cooperate in order to achieve a great results. For example, private investigators are instructed to gather evidence that police may have missed conducting the investigative process, at a crime scene, with respect to witness evidence etc. While this evidentiary defence material is being gathered, police evidence served is critically being questioned and analyzed by barristers and solicitors, who may have also instructed and sought to rely on expert opinions to evaluate the possibility to declare certain parts of police evidence as inadmissible. All of this happens while the leading lawyer is reviewing evidentiary material to build upon their legal strategy, submissions and to further direct and influence the conduct of the case appropriately.

This is only an example of the tremendous amount of work and number of people involved in a criminal case at the same time and any one point. While this may occur in big or specialized law firms, not all of them have the resources to employ a great number of professionals to handle a case. When it comes to criminal defence it is important that you ask about the support staff of the firm.

Most legal practices charge for these expert services respectively to each matter, either by the hour or at a fixed rate. Others include them as part of the standard costs disclosure provided that these services are needed in the preparation of a comprehensive defence. It is very difficult to determine on face value the amount of work contributed by expert or other professionals outside your instructed lawyers so look for a firm that includes them and has access to them as part of their standard services.

Although only one person appears in court representing the defendant, there is an entire team behind every case. It is important to note here that clients ought to be aware of the fact, that prior to legal advice being provided on a criminal matter, their defence team has evaluated numerous options, discarding those that cannot be demonstrated in court and selecting the best alternative to the current situation for them.

These all-round firms cover every imaginable aspect of a criminal defence matters conduct by combining technical and scientific disciplines with the experience and knowledge of the legal practitioner. In many situations the outcome of a client’s criminal matter may lead to further proceedings being initiated or personal circumstances being affected. In these situations it is the extended legal team who are properly preparing for the matter at hand while strategically  foreseeing other possible areas of dispute to advice upon. This process greatly assists and helps with the matters decision making process. On countless occasions, it is precisely the support staff and team who assist in achieving the winning result through the forcefulness of their findings.

In some circumstances all the leading lawyer has to do is to present the results in a way that will convince the jury or judge as to innocence or reasonable doubt. This is obviously not to take away from the strategy, the precise expertise and art required in presenting the case before court.

Expert support staff, when accompanied by a great leading lawyer can dramatically change the outcome of a case. Their contribution to the practice of criminal law is priceless. In the event that you require the services of a criminal defence law firm, ask about the lawyers and the group of people who work behind the curtain that turn the leading lawyer into a great lawyer. This symphony of people make all the difference, in terms of advocacy, preparation, accuracy, discovery of evidence, technical analysis and even the final result.

What’s your experience? Let me know.

Daniel Wakim is a criminal defence lawyer with heart. A believer in human rights and dignity for the individual, he had been described by clients and foes alike as the real deal.

As principal of Daniel Wakim Lawyers, he has represented a number of high-profile criminal cases in Australia’s highest jurisdictions including the Supreme Court and has offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

Daniel loves spending his spare time chilling out with his family and friends and when time permits catching that rare basketball game.