LogFAQs > #974306400

Cemith posted...

Serious question, do you not take these because they're impossible to win? Or because you personally abhor those actions? Or is it both? I know with attorneys (at least on tv, and I know how that sounds) I'd imagine that win record is pretty important to your standard of hireability.

"Win record" does not matter to criminal defense attorneys. It's not like a Call of Duty game where your stats are publicly visible. Nobody actually knows how many cases you "win" nor is it even possible to determine what's a "win" in criminal defense (outside of an outright dismissal/acquittal which is rare).

"Win record" can matter to prosecutors i.e. county attorneys, because the state does keep track of how many of their cases result in convictions.

Most of my cases result in plea deals. That means the defendant pled guilty, but I often view it as a "win" because, well, the Defendant was guilty, and now they have a much less severe sentence than they would otherwise.

To answer your first question, it's both. I personally love animals. I have two cats, I grew up with dogs, and nothing makes me more sad than an animal death or animal abuse. I just can't discuss things in good faith with a client that I know mutilated, tortured, or otherwise abused an innocent animal.

However, it's also because of how poor the results are likely to be. I know one of the county attorneys in my county will quite literally tell me to "pound sand" if I have animal abuse case because she does not negotiate when it comes to animal abuse. Many people are like me and despise animal abuse, so prosecutors are less willing to work with it.