Do solicitors believe their clients are innocent?

Raymond Lin said:
Exactly, they don't care, sometimes they don't even care about the money sometimes, it won't be their only case, it will be one of the hundreds.

They do the best for the client as the prosecution is doing the best for the CPS.

What they won't do is directly lie. Even if they know he is guilty. I never said he won't defend the client, i said he cannot lie. There is a difference, which you missed.
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That's what I meant, obviously lying is not allowed, but I wouldn't be so sure that none of them ever lie. :p

semi-pro waster said:
you are not allowed to lie to the court as a solicitor - whether that is always adhered to is another matter...
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This.
 
Greebo said:
I'm not saying they lie (although they migh, who knows), I'm just saying they know their client is guilty and use the facts to put as much reasonable doubt into the defence case as possible.

Or are you saying if the defendant says he did it, the solicitor has to tell this fact in court?

In my opinion you can know your client is guilty by been told it and still defend him without lying.
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Ah I misunderstood what you meant there from the way you disagreed with Mr Lin - he's said exactly the same thing, a solicitor can defend a client even if they know the client is guilty, they just put the facts in the most favourable light and make sure that the prosecution has to prove their case.

If a client tells you they are guilty then it remains legally privileged i.e. confidential. However at this point many solicitors would withdraw themselves if they felt they could no longer represent the client to the best of their ability without jeapordising their obligations to the court and the truth.
 
I will give you an example

Adam was found at the scene by a on duty policeman doing his rounds.

Adam was seen earlier in the night having an argument with Joseph in the pub.

The police arrested Adam and charges of murder was brought against him by the CPS.

However, the prosecution had no witness to the murder, they have no DNA evidence (somehow!), and only circumstantial evidence that Adam was at the scene and that the deceased was seen earlier in the night with the accused arguing.

The burden of proof is on the prosecution to put it reasonable doubt that Adam killed Joseph.

His solicitor can just say "they only have circumstantial evidence, they have no witness or forensic evidence to proof that his client is the killer."

At no point he has to say "My client is not guilty"
 
It's not their job to make moral decisions, it's their job to get the best result possible for their client within the bounds of the law. If that means saying he is not guilty due to a total lack of evidence, or because of some technicality, then fair enough.
 
Neither Solicitors nor Lawyers give a ****. They practice obfuscation in order to ensure they can continue to charge high fees, whether their client is innocent or guilty is irrelevant; they still get their money. It's hard to find a less honourable profession.

And as said, it's not their job to believe innocence or guilt.
 
While I have had good but professional rapports with some solicitors, I have also banged heads with a few.

One or two have spun yarns that police had to disclose more information for the pre interview consultation between solicitor and client although that was usually to officers younger in service. It isn't the case at all that that should happen.

I have seen some very questionable acts committed and there was one case of a solicitor who lived in the same village as a colleague that I joined with who knocked on her door of her home address as she had been told by one of her regulars that the officer was looking for him after an allegation was made.

Being a probationer at the time she didn't want to make a fuss and we almost fell out as I badgered her until she changed her mind and that if she didn't complain then I would do it for her.

Clearly this isn't the norm though and most play the game.
 
When I asked my Dad, who used to do duty solicitor work, the same question he said that he always advised his client to plead guilty if his client admitted the crime to him. If his client ignored that advice then it was my Dad's job to present the defence in accordance with the client's wishes.
 
I very often read Briefs from our instructing solicitors and a lot of the time they themselves don't believe what their clients are telling them.

Raymond is telling you the truth in what he is saying, he is training to be a lawyer!

I help manage sixty barristers.
 
I can only speak from my own experience.
All the briefs I've used over the years will not Knowingly lie for you in court in fact quite the opposite.
What they will do though is defend you & Your word, Tell them the truth & you tie there hands & they cannot defend you. ;)
 
If solicitors or barrister don't play by the rules, they can get a very harsh slap on the wrist. There are a huge amount of regulations covering this sort of thing.

And we aren't all that bad..... sort of.... :p
 
dmpoole said:
I used to be in band called Legal Thieves.
I'll let you guess what two members did for a living and they named the band.
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They were tax collectors? That's unconscionable, how did you ever get to sleep at nights working with that sort of person?

My outside guess is that they were traffic wardens, almost as bad but with less powers when I'm not driving.
 
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