Alethea
Verified Attorney
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2016
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no they cannot technically “ refuse “ because they may be appalled at the alleged crime but the clerk would suggest they perhaps were not the right barrister for the job or sadly “ already busy “ I have known that to happen often. Also many cases I dealt with in the past the Barrister would be personally revolted by the defendant but it is their job. Justice has to be done and everyone has the right to representation however horrific the crime. Justice also needs to be “ seen “ to be done. I cannot imagine any top silk ( QC ) turning this case down frightful as that might sound.
Thank you so much, your explanations have been so helpful. It is very different in the US so I was very curious about the actual step by step process. Though how you explained it makes perfect sense to me. Over here it is much more focused on ability to pay sadly. If you are indigent you will get appointed a public defender from our very skilled but overworked public defender organizations. If you can pay privately for an attorney, you can ask for a referral or have your family call lawyers in your area. For big or notorious cases you will have private attorneys swooping down to try to land the case for the publicity. But unless you are a public defender you have no obligation to take any case.