Listen to Dr. Ben Straight’s, YouTubeEpisode 55: An argument ‘for’ the Public Defender As you read in the textbook, criminal defense work is thankless unless the client is acquitted. Defendants have unreal expectations of what criminal defense attorneys can do, both in private practice and as a public defender. Prosecutors represent the state in which they live and are viewed as “the protectors of public good.” Civil litigators are rewarded with lucrative salaries. Private criminal defense attorneys are paid very well. But Public Defenders receive no rewards save personal satisfaction. They are paid less than garbage collectors, not respected by the public, and not appreciated by their clients. (1) Analyze the importance of legal ethics to the defense of criminal clients. (2) Identify possible tensions between criminal defense lawyers and clients. (3) Interpret the four major legal issues surrounding the right to counsel after the Gideon v Wainwright decision.
