This is a good time to think about our Constitution and especially the Bill of Rights. The personal favorite of this law office is the Sixth Amendment!

Read it here:

“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.”

Looks like the Founding Fathers were using that Old English spelling (“defence” instead of “defense”), but you get the gist of it!

The Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial and right to counsel work in tandem with each other to protect the right to a fair trial. The Sixth Amendment right to counsel is applicable to the individual states through the Fourteenth Amendment.

More about the Sixth Amendment is posted here.