On the train this evening. Chap on phone across the carriage
"To be honest we didn't really have a defence in terms of furnishing false documents..."
I enjoyed it... The judge was pleasant I thought 6 and a half years was quite light really....."
Easy for him to say. The client's going down, and he still gets paid.
Yebbut it sounds like he didn't have a leg on which to stand. It can't be easy defending someone who is, by all accounts, guilty.
I was once a witness in a trial for assault. The first defence lawyer rattled me a bit, being better than me at it, but he still didn't look happy. Then the other one started - & I almost laughed, because it was obvious that the two defendants had told different stories. This lawyer looked even more unhappy.
The prosecution barrister (a very young-looking, fresh-faced bloke) was very cheerful, though. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, as he simply took me through the significant parts of my statement, & had me show where I was coming from (a pub) & going to (my home) on a map (thus, apparently, showing up inconsistencies & nonsenses in their statements). He had a couple more witnesses telling the same story as mine, as well - or so I believe, because it was true, & they had no more reason to lie than I did.
The defendants were guilty as hell, & everyone knew it, including their lawyers, who knew they didn't have a chance. I reckon one was pretty pleased that his client walked out, his time inside waiting for trial (because he'd been caught red-handed driving a stolen car or something while out on bail) having been offset against all of his sentence.
I expect that barristers are used to undefendable (because it's obvious they're guilty) clients.