By Ronan 
The criminal justice system is often viewed as a distinct three-part system. It comprises of the prosecutor, the judge and jury, as well as the defense lawyer. Each aspect of this system has its own role to play. David Serna underlines that due to the severity of criminal cases, the role of defense lawyers becomes extremely important for those instances. Mr. Serna himself is a renowned criminal defense lawyer based in New Mexico. He commonly provides his counsel to the people of Albuquerque in the state.
David Serna discusses the responsibilities of a criminal defense lawyer
When facing the state, the criminal defense attorney would be the first line of defense for the defendant. They provide the necessary counsel to the defendant on the various arguments and strategies that can be used in a particular case, as well as highlight the particular benefits and drawbacks for each one of them. David Serna mentions that as per the constitution of the United States, any of its citizens charged with a crime would be provided with the needed representation. In the scenario when the alleged convicts are not able to acquire the services of a criminal defense attorney on their own, they would be provided one by the state. Mr. Serna has years of experience in the domain of criminal defense law. He has been practicing in Albuquerque, New Mexico for multiple years, and is also a lifetime member of the NORML’s National Legal Committee. His experience and expertise in the sphere of criminal law make him a perfect candidate to shed some light on the topic. He marks that there are multiple actions a criminal defense attorney can take to protect and help the defendant at various stages of a case. Here are some of their important duties:
- The defense lawyers ensures that the defendants are well-informed about their diverse constitutional rights, and are able to use their benefits
- To enable the defendant to help in the preparation of a defense, such attorneys may seek out their temporary release through bail
- The defense lawyers may also negotiate with the prosecutor in order to have the charges reduced, or even dropped in certain cases.
- The criminal defense lawyers work alongside the defendant and witnesses to acquire a better understanding of the defendant’s version of the relevant event, so as to formulate the most effective defense, such as mis-identification or self-defense.
- The defense attorney can orderly advise the defendant on what plea to enter, as well as whether to accept a certain plea agreement or not
- The criminal dense lawyer is given the crucial responsibility of determining which witnesses would be called on the stand, and how should each of them be examined
- The defense attorneys also have the responsibility to determine if any potential jurors may have a bias against the defendant and seek their removal from the jury panel
David Serna marks that the services of a good defense lawyer are needed in all criminal cases, owing to the various important duties served by them. Mr. Serna is especially renowned for the winning defense he did for an Albuquerque police.