The most hated people on earth are those who commit sex crimes, especially if they involve children.  Short of murder, there is probably no more heinous crime that could be committed.  It’s not politically correct to defend those accused of such crimes.  In fact, many lawyers, including myself, have been publicly criticized for doing so.  Yet, I will keep defending them because there is a higher principle involved in these cases.

Our legal system is based on the notion of “innocent until proven guilty” in a court of law.  When someone is arrested and indicted for a sex crime, that person has the right to a trial and be judged by his peers who have first weighed all the pertinent evidence in the case and applied the law to the circumstances of the case.  Is it perfect? No, it isn’t but what alternative do we have as a society?  The only other alternative is to let public opinion decide the fate of the accused without the benefit of having heard all the admissible evidence.  That leads to witch hunts and public killings of those who are accused.  That’s not a system of justice but blood lust.

If we are all equal under the law, that applies to anyone accused of the worst of crimes, including sex crimes.  All too often when we hear about one of these crimes, our emotions get the better of us and we want vengeance more than justice.  So many people ask, “How could you defend that person?”  My response is “How could I not defend him or her?”  That’s our legal system and for the most part it works if both sides are on an equal footing and each side does their job to the best of their ability.

Is it uncomfortable sometimes?  Sure.  But there is no better alternative.  The rule of law and the principle of innocent until proven guilty in a court of law protects each and every one of us.  Think about that before you question the integrity or morality of a criminal defense lawyer who represents those accused of sex crimes.