IN THE UNITED STATES CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, those charged with a crime are entitled to a defense. The people responsible for providing that defense, as well as protecting the rights of the accused, are skilled attorneys, known as criminal defense lawyers. Mounting a case for a criminal defendant can be an awesome task, fraught with numerous pitfalls and obstacles. In an effort to prove that a client is innocent, a defense attorney has to battle the full power of the state or federal government, which is often backed by a determined force of law enforcement agents. The role of criminal defense attorneys is extremely important in the criminal justice system because defense lawyers keep the system honest, making sure there truly is justice for all. When lawyers take on a case on behalf of the defense, it is their job to make sure that evidence was gathered properly and legally, confessions were not coerced, searches were conducted to the letter of the law, testimony was not fabricated, and the rights of the suspect were not violated in any way. The defense attorney may be the only one in an overburdened criminal justice system advocating for the accused. Defense attorneys see the accused not as a docket number, but rather as a person with rights and a voice to be heard. Wealthy or indigent, all clients must be treated equally by defense attorneys, who make sure that those bringing charges against any client meet the burden of proof. A great deal is at stake here. A wrongful conviction can ruin a client's life. There is little room for error. Defense attorneys handle cases from misdemeanors to felonies. A convicted client can receive a punishment ranging from a fine, to community service, probation, several years in prison, or even life imprisonment. In some cases, the death penalty is on the table. No matter what the severity of the crime, defense attorneys represent people in what is often their darkest hour. Criminal law is complex, with each state enacting its own criminal laws and setting its own punishments. Some crimes are covered by federal laws as well. Most criminal cases do not make sensational headlines in the daily newspapers or get spotlighted on network and cable news or online news sites. These cases are just as important to the people charged with that crime as the cases that captivate the public's attention. Regardless of the notoriety the case gets, little attention is paid to the hard work and long hours defense attorneys put in behind the scenes, working every angle to get their clients off or to minimize their sentences. Most people are only aware of the time defense counsel spends arguing a case in court. There will also be months or even years of work that go into a case, and that case is hardly ever the only one the attorney is working on. When you choose to become a criminal defense attorney, you are embarking on a fascinating and demanding career. In this profession, you will be seeking out the truth and representing your client to the best of your ability, while seeing to it that justice is served.