Order in the Court: Separating Fact from Fiction
They say the truth is stranger than fiction, and when it comes to life in a courtroom, this adage certainly rings true. We’ve all seen the courtroom dramas on television that pit the witty and cunning lawyer against fictional villains who often bear uncanny resemblances to real-world criminals, die-hard warriors for justice against the worst society has to offer. Unfortunately the fictionalized world of TV drama may make some fictions about life as a criminal lawyer seem truer than they actually are; separating this fact from fiction is something any current or potential lawyer has to do before they embark on their career journey.
The general public likes to be deceived, at least in some cases. From the comfort of our own living rooms, we can live vicariously through the fictionalized characters on screen that battle with their wits, sarcasm, and facts to defeat the bad guys in the courtroom once and for all. Crime shows are intensely popular among many people, regardless of age or background. We like to see the good guys win, and for a half an hour or an hour be involved in a story that seems like it could be true.
However, it doesn’t take any criminal lawyer long to realize that their jobs on screen and off are very different! The excitement of the courtroom in a television series doesn’t take into consideration the very long hours that many criminal lawyers work behind the scenes to make those courtroom moments happen in the first place.
Houston, Texas criminal lawyers train for many years to obtain the necessary qualifications they need in order to pass the state bar exam and move into employment positions where they can continue to learn while gaining real-world experience in all levels of the criminal justice system. Criminal lawyers may specialize in different areas of criminal law based on their interests or based on the kind of clients their law firm chooses to represent. Once a criminal lawyer has landed a job they must put together their airtight cases, be flexible in a courtroom, and defend their clients to the best of their abilities.
The work culminating in the courtroom moment can be long and arduous. Criminal lawyers conduct massive amounts of research, do interviews, and often take on their own investigations to gather evidence about the case and their client. All this information must then be synthesized, ready to be used as evidence if the case goes to court.
The television shows don’t get it all wrong- criminal lawyers must be smart, think fast on their feet, and be able to weave a convincing tale telling their client’s story with a measure of hard facts and diplomacy to sway a judge and a jury. They must also be dedicated to their clients to spend that many hours writing, researching, and defending. For Houston, Texas criminal lawyers the work isn’t over just because a case has been won. The precedent that is set with every case serves to build not only an individual criminal lawyer’s experience and reputation, but the very foundation of the United States’ legal system, too.