Attorney defense strategies

Abstract

Three themes are particularly noteworthy when distinguishing white-collar defense strategies from other defense strategies by attorneys. First, the role of white-collar attorneys is radically different from the typical criminal lawyer who defends a person suspected of and charged with street crime. For instance, the former spends far more time on each case, both in terms of workload and in terms of calendar time. Second, information control is at the center of the white-collar attorney’s work. The attorney is concerned with acquisition of crucial information and keeps damaging information out of the hands of public authorities such as municipalities, police investigators, and public prosecutors. A third theme centers on a major dilemma of these attorneys: how to defend vigorously the client without thereby becoming a party to the criminal act.