Our justice system is far from perfect, and innocent people are sometimes charged with terrible crimes. While we often tell ourselves that the truth will come out, it often cannot come out without help from a defense attorney.

Even if you are innocent of the crime with which you have been charged, you should still get help from an experienced criminal defense lawyer. If you have been charged, prosecutors likely believe they have what it takes to convict you, and they will not hold back. Your attorney can help you undermine the evidence, find witnesses who can help you, and exploit flaws in the prosecutor’s case. While the truth will come out, a good defense attorney will speed up the process.

Ask our Philadelphia criminal defense lawyers for a private, free case evaluation by calling the Liberty Law Team at (215) 826-3314.

How a Defense Attorney Can Help You Assert Your Innocence

When facing criminal charges, you may be startled to find that almost nobody is on your side. You can assert your innocence to prosecutors, but they have charged you because they already believe you are guilty. You should seek help from a defense attorney right away.

Undermining the Evidence

You might be innocent, but prosecutors may still have evidence that makes you look bad. In fact, prosecutors usually will not move forward with a case unless they believe they have enough evidence to convict, so you may be in serious trouble.

Your defense attorney should undermine the evidence, expose weaknesses, and convince the jury that the evidence is unreliable or bogus. Remember, the truth does not come out on its own. Your defense lawyer must drag it into the light of day.

Calling the Right Witnesses

Presenting your defense in court is not just a matter of evidence, but also of strategy. When a defendant is truly innocent, people in their lives often know the truth. We may be able to identify people with crucial, personal knowledge about you and the alleged crime.

Calling the right witnesses to help piece together your story can be an effective way of defending yourself. Clear, coherent testimony from people close to you or close to the alleged crime can expose the truth of your innocence.

Looking for Flaws in the Prosecutor’s Case

When a defendant is innocent, prosecutors likely have weak or flawed evidence, whether they realize it or not. In some cases, a defense attorney will review the prosecutor’s evidence during the discovery phase of the case and discover critical flaws.

Our criminal defense lawyers can inform prosecutors of the flaws in their evidence. Sometimes prosecutors are willing to admit when they get things wrong and may drop the charges to focus on finding the real culprit.

Navigating Complex Legal Procedures with Your Defense Lawyer

Convincing a jury that you are innocent requires maneuvering through complicated legal procedures. One step out of line may cost you everything, and your defense attorney should guide you through the process.

What to Do When You Are Arrested

When you are arrested, the police may want to question you about the alleged crime. Legally, the police must read you your Miranda rights before they begin questioning. When this happens, invoke your rights immediately.

You have the right to remain silent. This means you do not have to answer questions from the police about the alleged crime. Refusing to answer questions cannot be used against you later. You should also invoke your right to have an attorney present if you do answer police questions.

Never answer questions from the police without a lawyer, even if you are innocent.

Pretrial Procedures

Pretrial motions can help expose the truth. In some cases, innocent defendants can beat their charges before their cases ever go to trial.

When a defendant is innocent, and the evidence against them is flimsy, they stand a good chance of getting the case dismissed. Your attorney can file a pretrial motion to dismiss the case based on insufficient evidence.

Conducting Yourself During a Trial

If we cannot convince prosecutors of your innocence before trial, we will convince the jury in the courtroom.

Trials are a hotbed of complicated rules and procedures. Simply speaking at the wrong time may be a serious violation of the rules and could jeopardize your defense.

Your attorney should be intimately familiar with court rules and procedures, and they should make sure your case proceeds smoothly through a trial.

How a Defense Lawyer Can Protect You When Things Go Wrong

Even when a defendant is innocent, things can go wrong. Legal strategies do not always work out as planned, and your attorney should be prepared to pivot.

Innocent Defendants Found Guilty

The system is not perfect, and innocent people are found guilty more often than most people realize. If this happens, your attorney can help you begin the appeal process and, hopefully, secure a new trial where you might get a better outcome.

Introduction of Illegal Evidence

Even innocent defendants need to protect their rights from the authorities. Your defense lawyer should be on the lookout for evidence that does not comply with the Rules of Evidence of your state. If evidence does not seem relevant, is overly prejudicial, or violates the rules against hearsay, it should not be admitted into evidence.

They should also be wary of illegally obtained evidence. If the police seized evidence from your private property without a warrant, we should argue that the evidence should not be admitted in court.

Exposing Deceitful Witnesses

Although witnesses swear an oath to tell the truth, not all of them do. If a witness is less than honest, your attorney should have the skills and experience to expose them in court and get to the truth. Calling your own witnesses who tell a very different story can be a major help to your case.

FAQs About Why Criminal Defendants Need a Defense Lawyer Even if They Are Innocent

Do Defendants Need a Defense Attorney if They Are Innocent?

Yes. Innocent defendants often believe that the truth will come out on its own, and everything will be fine in the end. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Prosecutors likely have evidence that makes you look bad, and you need a defense attorney who can help you assert a strong legal defense in court.

How Can an Innocent Defendant Prove the Truth?

Innocent defendants may work with their defense attorneys to scrutinize the prosecutor’s evidence and find weak points or flaws. Not only can you highlight these flaws in court, but you may present counter-evidence that shows how you could not have committed the crime.

What Happens if an Innocent Defendant Does Not Hire a Defense Attorney?

If you choose not to hire a defense attorney, you risk being found guilty of a crime you did not commit. Once a jury finds you guilty, it may be extremely difficult to challenge your conviction. Even if you can challenge the conviction, the appeals process can take time, and you will have to remain behind bars while you wait.

Will the Prosecutor Help if a Defendant is Innocent?

No. Prosecutors charged you with a crime because they believe you are guilty. You can tell them that they have it all wrong, but they likely will not believe you. If you want to assert your innocence, you may need to prove it in court. That is why having a defense attorney is so crucial, even if the defendant is truly innocent.

Begin Your Case with a Legal Review from Our Criminal Defense Lawyers

Ask our Bucks County, PA criminal defense lawyers for a private, free case evaluation by calling the Liberty Law Team at (215) 826-3314.