It’s one of the most ungrateful jobs in the legal field. Criminal defense attorneys, who stand with clients accused of all crimes, from petty to mass murder, must organize the most effective defense possible. They, no matter how serious the crime is. While their work upholds a person’s constitutional right to a fair trial, some observers criticize them for portraying the villains in society.

In their view, this needs to include the point. In addition to keeping the balance of justice in balance, criminal defense attorneys find satisfaction in handling high-risk cases. “It’s a zero-sum game,” said Jeffrey Lichtman, a New York-based attorney representing John A. Gotti and charged Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. “Win or lose. There is pressure, excitement and responsibility to be the sole defender and supporter of a defendant.”

Mental Floss spoke with three top criminal defense lawyer Mississauga to better understand this often emotionally draining work. In addition to Lichtman, we spoke with Chris Tritico – the subject of the first episode of the Oxygen’s In Defense Of documentary series that opens June 25 and who plays the 1997 Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh – as well as Bryan Gates, practicing in North Carolina. Here’s what they share about life as the devil’s attorney.

  1. LAWYERS DO NOT LET PERSONAL EMOTIONS ON THE PROCEDURE

Some defendants have committed terrible crimes but still have constitutional rights, so lawyers don’t let their personal feelings about a crime get in the way of defending their clients. “There has never been a day when I defended an accused person and endorsed the crime,” Tritico said. “I don’t justify blowing up a building and killing 168 people. But McVeigh has to be protected, and his rights have to be protected. People like me have to be willing to stand up and say, “I am.” it will protect you. You do it for McVeigh, and you do it for others.

  1. CUSTOMER CONNECTION IS THE KEY TO EVERY SIN

It can be difficult to find common ground with someone accused of doing something wrong that could land them in prison for life or even the death penalty, but defense attorneys say there’s often a way to treat clients. They as human beings – and the case would be better for that. Lichtman befriends Gotti while discussing family; Tritico finds McVeigh adorable. “I want Tim to like me, and I want to like him,” he said. “I want him to trust my decisions. It doesn’t happen all the time, but most of the time, I love them.

   3. THEY RESEARCH JURORS’ BACKGROUNDS

Questioning a potential juror, known as voir dire, is an art. Both the defense and the plaintiffs want those on the jury to be able to be affected, even though the circumstances are often against the defense. “The jury is willing to convict, because normally nobody supports the crime,” Lichtman said.

When interviewing potential participants, Lichtman said quickly:

“I say a mile a minute, seeking to expose potentially problematic jurors to knowingly or unknowingly exposing their natural biases so that I can remove them from the panel for primary reason. Jurors who I believe may remain open or anti-police spanking when they use provocation [against jurors].”

In court, Lichtman focused on finding one person in a 12-person box to connect with. “I’m researching the background of the jurors,” he said. “I’m looking for anything I can tap into in the background to tailor my summary to something that’s happened in their lives.”

  1. THEY ALWAYS MONITOR THE BODY LANGUAGE OF THE EXAMINATION COMMITTEE

Keep an eye on the jury to gauge which way it’s leaning. Lichtman says body language can tell him a lot. “You can feel how the trial is going,” he said. The jurors who laughed or smiled at his jokes all sided with him. The jurors who turned their backs on him did not. “You can see who is following you. They are excited by your arguments.

Assessing the jurors’ responses allows Lichtman to adjust his arguments in real-time. “During questioning a witness or asking for a grand jury on a summons, if I see someone turn their backs on me, I will keep that juror in mind and what may have caused them to quit, and I’m trying to fix or fix that down the road,” he said. “If I get anyone to laugh, I know there’s a juror who might not acquit my client but at least they take it off. Open to that, so I spend a lot of time working on that.”

  1. THEY HAVE A REASON TO BE SO CLOSE TO OUR CUSTOMERS

The image of a Toronto defense lawyer standing next to a client when reading a verdict is generally understood as a sign of solidarity, but the lawyer may have other reasons. Tritico says that when he started, he took on a client charged with aggravated burglary. Despite Tritico’s advice to plead guilty to haggling, the man could go to trial and lose. His sentence is 40 years. “I was watching the jury when the verdict was read, and I felt something move,” he said. “He was unconscious. Since then, I always hold my client’s hand to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Sometimes the attorney himself may need help. For example, according to Tritico, hearing a man was sentenced to death, as he did with McVeigh, “could be the most disappointing thing you’ll ever hear in your life.”

  1. CUSTOMERS CAN BE THEIR GREAT CUSTOMERS

The adage that you should only talk to the police with a lawyer? This is probably the best advice the defendant can get, but many still refuse to let the message get through.

It doesn’t end there, however. Defendants in jail before their trial will likely dig an even deeper hole. “They will write letters to people. District attorneys, at least in North Carolina, can get a copy. It may not be a straight confession, but there may be things that won’t make them the best. Phone calls are the same. If they are unsatisfied with their attorney, some clients will even write a letter of complaint to the prosecutor or judge, which can leak damaging information that can be used against them. After that. “It would just wreak havoc on one case,” Gates said.

  1. THEY RECEIVE HATE LETTERS

Representing public figures such as John A. Gotti, the son of notorious gangster John Gotti, often gets lawyers cursed by the association. Lichtman once received hate mail, which later turned into hate mail and other expressions of contempt. He said: “I was spat on entering the courthouse. “I was [named] while sitting at the defense desk by a walking away witness who I was just wiping my watch.” Nothing should interfere with Lichtman’s desire to create the best possible protection for its customers. “I have never apologized for what I did. Playing a murder suspect doesn’t mean I support murder.

  1. INNOVATIVE OFFICERS CAN MAKE THEIR WORK MORE INNOVATIVE

An innocent customer would be easier to defend. But, according to Gates, having a firm belief that a client is being falsely accused adds extra pressure to the defense. “It’s very stressful because you really identify with that person,” he says. In addition, while no attorney wants to see a client convicted, it is heartbreaking to know that they can be punished for something they didn’t do. “We had an attorney here [in North Carolina] who worked for 15 years for someone he felt was wrongly accused, and he was finally able to prove it.” But that’s unusual – often, attorneys doubt their clients’ innocence and have to watch a jury convict them.

  1. SOMETIMES, THEY BRING CUSTOMERS

If a defendant likes ripped jeans and heavy metal t-shirts, attorneys often advise him to take his time shopping. “This is not about creating an illusion,” says Tritico. “But if someone comes in, like a mule, I take them to the hairdresser. We bought long pants and button-down shirts. You must show respect for the system.

   10. THEY LOVE THE EXCITEMENT—BUT TRIALS DON’T MOVE AS FAST AS YOU THINK

Ask a defense attorney why he chose this minor legal major; the most common answer is that nothing gets his blood pumping more than a high-risk case. “The cases go faster, and they’re more interesting than the civil cases,” Gates said. “Nothing is worse than a long talk about Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code. It’s more interesting to talk about a bank robbery.

That said, no trial unfolds at the same pace as true crime documentaries or popular novels. “It’s not fun to watch,” Gates said. “They’re very time consuming and a lot of the long passages are just boring. CourtTV, when are they going to put cameras in the courtroom all day? It’s like watching paint dry.” While many trials are completed in three to five days, some take weeks or months. In 2013, jurors spent seven weeks at the federal trial of notorious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger and another five days discussing the verdict. 31 counts, including extortion and involvement in the murder.)