Lynda ArtesaniLegal Accountant and Data Migration Specialist at The Proper Trust

Cashflow in Criminal Defense Law

3 May 2024 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:55

In this segment, a criminal defense attorney explains that self‑defense cases can unexpectedly require massive legal fees—up to half a million dollars—far beyond what a client anticipates at the moment of a shooting. To address this, the attorney advocates creative financing strategies, such as using deeds of trust and tailored fee agreements, and stresses the importance of bringing in outside counsel to navigate ethical obligations. He highlights the inherent tension between the mission of protecting lives and the necessity of running a financially sustainable practice, likening the law firm to a hospital where, unlike surgeons, attorneys may have to turn clients away if they cannot pay.

Chapters

If somebody comes at you and you shoot and kill them and it's self-defense, you weren't planning on having to spend $500,000 on a legal defense at that moment. Right. Who does that? So, you have to kind of understand how to work with clients, maybe get creative in how you secure financing or secure their fee agreement through perhaps a deed of trust sometimes. When you do that, I always bring in outside lawyers, make sure the client gets their own lawyer because there's all kinds of ethical issues that go into it. But, you know, at the end of the day, there's this tension because, you know, we're here trying to protect and save lives. And on the other hand, you, you know, you need to make sure you're, you know, you're running the business. I mean, it's really no different than a hospital if you think about it. I mean, the big difference is that the surgeon doesn't turn you away if you don't have the money.