At Villarini & Henry, L.L.P., we are serious about the way we protect our clients from harm. Sometimes, this entails our defending them against unconstitutional charges wrought by overzealous New York prosecutors and police forces. However, we also do our best to nullify even the threats that exist besides a criminal conviction — and before the court procedures begin.
One of the first things we often do when we consider taking on a new violent crime case is to perform research. We do this for many reasons, not the least of which is that this effort sometimes uncovers glaring errors on behalf of the prosecution. A successful discovery of this nature could potentially help us persuade prosecutors to drop charges.
If it comes time for a trial, even when the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of our clients’ position, we are interested in keeping our clients from being harmed by a jury’s potential predispositions. These opinions often exist when our clients suffer from adverse coverage in the Buffalo-area mass media, whether prospective jurors are aware of their prejudice or not. Our tenacious lines of questioning during jury selection are designed to illuminate biases held by candidates even if the candidates themselves are unaware that they are affected by public opinion.
You need only refer to a recent article posted by the Nieman Journalism Lab about the profound effect news could have on a case to realize that careful attention to mass media factors is often crucial in a criminal defense. This is why we see it as our duty to thoroughly investigate both the official and the popular reports on all of our clients. Please continue on to our main site for more information.