Around 15 years ago I decided to adopt the strategy of over-informing my clients. It seems like a simple and obvious idea, but it’s not. There are drawbacks.
First, having a detailed discussion of sentencing guideline punishments can make the client worry that his lawyer assumes he’s guilty. I don’t. But I’ve learned, especially in federal cases, that the client really needs to understand what she’s up against.
Second, the client may become discouraged. I give my client what I call …
The Roller-Coaster speech: Defending a criminal investigation will be a long and scary ride. Some days will have good developments, and we’ll feel at the top of the ride, and some days bad things will occur, and we’ll feel down at the bottom. It’s important to try like hell to keep an even keel.
Defending a criminal case requires making many decisions along the way, and the client and I need to keep a level head at each decision point.
I’ve found the strategy of keeping my client very informed of the law, the process, and the facts helps us reach the best result.
