Since everybody on here seems to be a real lawyer, played a lawyer on TV or pretends to be a lawyer I have a general observation/question.
I'm currently reading a glorified biography of Barry Slotnick. If you're unaware, he was a mob lawyer who defended Joe Colombo, Gotti, the guy who defended the New York subway shooter and was involved in a number of other high profile cases.
The book paints him as a hero crusading for justice, but I get a completely different take on it. I think he's as bad or worse than the criminals he represents. Not only does he represent these guys, but he becomes involved in their lives, hangs out with them, gains favors from them.
Maybe my view of the profession is naïve, but I've never believed it was the defense attorney's job to get an acquittal for his client. The defense attorney's role is to make sure the rules are followed and that his client isn't railroaded.
The gleeful retelling of the tricks Slotnick utilized to obtain not guilty verdicts for mafia figures actually kind of sickens me. I view his tactics as a perversion of justice and consider people like him a clear representation of what's wrong with our system of jurisprudence. A not guilty verdict for someone who is clearly and obviously guilty of the crimes with which they are charged isn't a victory.
What am I missing? What is the role of a defense attorney?
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