QUESTION = What is a lawyer supposed to do when defending a person who is obviously guilty of a crime?

GENERATION = I'm not familiar with US legal work, but I assume they're not always supposed to "assume" guilt without evidence. So for example if I get accused of murder, I'd know what evidence there is, but not necessarily why I was charged with murder. I would also be able to read evidence proving that I was actually innocent (since the prosecution doesn't have a legal case for me), but I wouldn't be able to prove guilt. In other words, I don't have a legal defense, so I can't work for the prosecution. 

RETRIEVAL #0 = Criminal defense lawyer---are charged. Criminal defense lawyers may also help clients before charges have been filed by a prosecuting attorney. This is done when someone believes he or she is being investigated, or is arrested. The accused may hire a criminal defense lawyer to help with counsel and representation dealing with police or other investigators, perform his or her own investigation, and at times present exculpatory evidence that negates potential charges by the prosecutor. Criminal defense lawyers in the United States who are employed by governmental entities such as counties, state governments, and the federal government are often referred to as public defenders or court-appointed attorneys. A considerable aspect of this work requires the US criminal defense lawyer to have a clear understanding of the United States Constitution. Specifically, the Fourth Amendment protects against unlawful searches and seizures, while the Fifth and Sixth Amendments govern the right to remain silent so one does not become a witness against himself. All of the Amendments to the United States Constitution are guaranteed to the criminal accused against the states via the Fourteenth Amendment. Thus, a criminal defense lawyer must understand each of these rights. Initial work on any criminal case involves review of the charges and the claimed facts, and analysis of constitutional violations, the "prima facie" burden of the prosecution, defenses, and affirmative defenses; as well as potential sentence and sentencing issues. Early 

RETRIEVAL #1 = Criminal defense lawyer---stages of a criminal case may involve a grand jury or preliminary hearing to determine if there exists probable cause for the case to continue. A violation of the Fourth or Fifth Amendment, or other illegally obtained evidence could result in evidence being inadmissible at trial. Accordingly, a criminal defense lawyer often spends a considerable amount of time reviewing all documentation to determine if the case can be won on constitutional grounds due to illegal conduct by the government. If there are no constitutional violations, much of the work of a criminal defense attorney then turns to trial preparation. Any proposed settlement agreement must be compared to the best judgment about the outcome after trial. A criminal defense lawyer will usually discuss potential plea bargains with the prosecuting attorney, as an alternative to exercising the defendant's trial right and other rights. Plea agreements, when made, can be characterized as either charge agreements (often involving a less serious charge), sentencing agreements (involving a lesser sentence), or both. Criminal defense lawyers are typically defending people with misdemeanor or felony charges. A misdemeanor generally refers to criminal activity that is punishable by one year or less in the local jail. A felony typically refers to criminal activity that is punishable by more than one year in the prison system. Many states have "wobblers", which refers to criminal activity that is charged as a 

RETRIEVAL #2 = Public defender---who can not afford a chosen lawyer. The defence counsel's participation is required by the Criminal Procedure Act. Usually a private lawyer is appointed, one for each defendant, and conflict of interest between contradicting suspects is avoided, e.g. the same lawyer may not represent two accused whose evidence is mutually contradictory. If convicted, the defendant is in principle liable for the fee, but is rarely pursued. Section::::See also. BULLET::::- Duty counsel BULLET::::- Duty solicitor BULLET::::- Legal aid BULLET::::- Legal aid in the United States 

RETRIEVAL #3 = Public defender (United States)---who can petition the Court for the expenditure of expert witness funds and funds for critical items like official transcripts of hearings for use at trial. Section::::Legal issues. Section::::Legal issues.:Conflict of interest. Because conflict of interest problems could exist where multiple defendants participated in a single crime, only one person in a group of co-defendants will be assigned an attorney from a public defender office. For many defendants, it is in their best interest to testify against co-defendants in exchange for a reduced sentence. To ensure that each defendant is afforded his constitutional right to an effective defense, jurisdictions may have several public defender entities, or a "conflict panel" of private practice attorneys. This enables the court to assign each defendant an attorney from a completely separate office, thereby guarding against the risk of one client's privileged information accidentally falling into the hands of another client's attorney. Some jurisdictions, like in Los Angeles County, employ a separate entity for legal representation called the Alternate Public Defender's office. Any further conflicts are handled by court-appointed private attorneys. Section::::Legal issues.:Appeals. Notably, the landmark "Gideon" case only gives an indigent criminal defendant a right to be represented at "trial" and upon the first appeal as of right. But the Supreme Court has held that there is no right to representation for discretionary appeals 

RETRIEVAL #4 = Of counsel---year. Section::::See also. BULLET::::- Contract attorney BULLET::::- Counsel Section::::External links. BULLET::::- ABA article on term 

RETRIEVAL #5 = Criminal procedure in South Africa---any particular counsel, ignore all other considerations and the convenience of counsel is not overriding. If a legal representative is assigned by the State, the accused has little choice. The accused may not demand that the State assign to her or him counsel of her or his choice, but the accused may object to a particular representative on limited grounds, like conflict of interest or incompetence. Whether a defence is so incompetent that it makes the trial unfair is a factual question that does not depend upon the degree of "ex post facto" dissatisfaction of the litigant; the assessment must be objective. The failure to take certain basic steps, such as failing to consult, stands on a different footing from the failure to cross-examine effectively or the decision to call or not to call a particular witness. It is relatively easy to determine whether the right to counsel was rendered nugatory in the former type of case, but, in the latter instance, where counsel's discretion is involved, the scope for complaint is limited. Section::::Disclosure by prosecution. On the pre-constitutional position, see "R v Steyn", where the police docket was privileged from disclosure.South Africa's approach to disclosure by the prosecution is now widely acknowledge to have been flawed prior to the advent of the Constitution. Assistance, therefore, was derived from Canada. The position in Canada is adumbrated in " 

RETRIEVAL #6 = Crown attorney---also. BULLET::::- Crown Attorney's Office of Ontario BULLET::::- Crown prosecutor BULLET::::- Crown counsel BULLET::::- Public Prosecution Service of Canada Section::::References. BULLET::::- Sources BULLET::::- Crown attorney on the Canadian Encyclopedia