Comments on: “My client is being framed”, cont’d https://www.overlawyered.com/2008/03/my-client-is-being-framed-contd/ Chronicling the high cost of our legal system Mon, 19 May 2008 03:51:20 +0000 hourly 1 By: Deoxy https://www.overlawyered.com/2008/03/my-client-is-being-framed-contd/comment-page-1/#comment-11358 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:37:02 +0000 http://overlawyered.com/wpblog/?p=6017#comment-11358 What are the responsibilities of a defense lawyer who discovers, or knows up front, that his client is guilty?

A vigorous defense, no different from knowing h was innocent.

There are several reasons for this, but the simplest is this: if you could not confide in your lawyer, you would not, and the innocent would also have to be more careful with their lawyers (lest the lawyer find out something that the innocent did wrong unknowingly, etc, and have to stop representing them), leading to more innocent people in jail.

Also, we want the government to have to prove its case, even for the guilty. This is also a defense for the innocent.

Some guilty go free so that fewer innocent do not. Sometimes I think we lean a little too far (and get too little benefit), but that’s the honorable intent.

]]> By: Ray Burtoff https://www.overlawyered.com/2008/03/my-client-is-being-framed-contd/comment-page-1/#comment-11357 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:45:55 +0000 http://overlawyered.com/wpblog/?p=6017#comment-11357 I’d like to ask for some clarification since I am not a lawyer. What are the responsibilities of a defense lawyer who discovers, or knows up front, that his client is guilty?

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