Why Hire a Female Criminal Defense Lawyer for Sex Crime Cases

Why Hire a Female Criminal Defense Lawyer for Sex Crime Cases

When the famous singer R. Kelly hired a female lawyer as part of his criminal defense team, the media took notice. This was a federal case and, for the most part, a male-dominated field. Sex crimes, as most people know, are often perpetrated against women. Due to this, it is often men who serve as legal representation for the accused party.

Female Criminal Defense Lawyer

Many of the articles about this federal trial in New York were focused on if the choice of R. Kelly’s defense team hiring a female criminal defense attorney was a strategic move. Other high-profile sex crime cases, such as Cosby and Epstein, took the same approach.

Choosing a criminal defense lawyer is an important decision if you are facing a criminal sexual conduct case. With so many high-profile clients electing to have women attorneys or women as part of their defense team, you may wonder if hiring a female lawyer can make a difference in your case and its outcome.

Just like anything else in criminal law, there are advantages and potential disadvantages to hiring a female legal professional. Learn more about what these are here.

Why Hiring a Female Attorney for Sex Crimes Defense Is Smart

While, historically, men are more often selected as advocates and judges, this may be a contributing factor to why more people are searching for female advocates and attorneys today. Many psychological studies have shown that females are more reasonable, less combative, and fairer than men. It is also possible for female attorneys to influence the opposition and judges in a way that men may not be able to.

Female vs. Male Lawyers

Female attorneys constantly look out for their client’s best interests and approach problems differently from men. Rather than taking an unreasonable and abrasive approach, female attorneys rely on compassion and experience to ensure their clients get the defense strategy that will help provide a desirable outcome for a client’s sex crimes criminal cases.

Women attorneys will listen to clients and understand what their wants and needs are until the case is concluded. It is well known that to build a successful defense, effective collaboration is necessary. Men have the biological desire to fight back and attack, while women will likely settle things and negotiate the situation.

Sometimes, criminal law cases require an aggressive approach; however, this is not usually the case regarding sex crime charges. Female attorneys appeal more to judges, juries, and clients who prefer civility in these highly sensitive cases. While females are known for being settling and polite, this is not always the case when you hire a female attorney. Your female attorney will be aggressive and firm when needed, depending on the situation and what the case calls for.

Blurring the Lines Between Perpetrator and Victim

Utilizing womanhood is an effective way to blur the lines between the perpetrator in a case and the accused victim of sexual assault. This strategy rallies the inequities in the criminal justice system to help defend individuals who will benefit from this imbalance.

Those who accuse others of sexual assault have an uphill battle in proving their side of the story already, with just 28 of every 310 reported cases resulting in a conviction and only 25 of the perpetrators going to jail. Having a woman as your criminal defense attorney in these situations just makes the uphill battle even more challenging for the prosecution. Since women are typically the victims of these crimes, it is more compelling for a woman to defend the alleged perpetrator.

If you are facing a sex crime and need a viable criminal defense. Consider this – whom do you want to explain to a jury why a woman may lie about something like sexual assault or rape? If a man tried to explain this, it would be extremely challenging and, in some cases, offensive for women. Consider whom you would rather explain these situations – a man or woman:

• How it would be impossible for a man to take off certain clothing women wear without help.
• Why would a woman have sex willingly with someone they hardly knew while they were menstruating?
• Why a woman may lie about consensual sex in a public setting? And her concern for her personal or social reputation.

Coming from a man, many of the defenses for sex crimes are difficult to believe and awkward. They may even be offensive (as mentioned above). You also must consider the “Me Too” movement from a few years ago. This is still top of mind in many situations, especially in cases where sexual assault and other sex crimes are alleged.

Not all criminal defense attorneys are the same; and in cases that involve sex crimes, gender may play a role in who will be more effective in presenting a defense in court.

Specific Benefits of Hiring a Female Attorney

When you begin looking at lawyers to hire for your case, take time to see what practice areas they focus on. If an attorney represents all types of criminal cases, they will not have the expertise needed to handle your charge. Learn more on what to look for in a criminal defense lawyer here.

Along with finding an experienced sex crime attorney, hiring a female offers several benefits. These include:

• Emotional and Moral Support: Hiring a female lawyer means you have the advantage of a professional, experienced attorney who will fight based on what is in your best interest. Also, women attorneys are more likely to provide emotional and moral support during these difficult cases.
• No Gender Bias: Female attorneys understand how gender bias works since most have been dealing with it for the entirety of their careers. A female attorney is going to represent your interests without a focus on gender, both in and out of court.
• Understanding and Sensitivity: When accused of sexual assault or similar criminal charges, you need someone who understands your situation. Many women are more sensitive to these types of personal allegations and will help their clients with more than just legal services.

The Ability to Utilize Real-Life Experiences

Many female attorneys’ real-life experiences give them a unique advantage compared to their male counterparts. In many cases, as adult women, it is only possible to rely on personal experiences. This provides a unique opportunity to fully understand the overall dynamics of a relationship and the people involved, while understanding what motivates false allegations of criminal sexual conduct.

One example of how this applies to these cases is being a parent and experiencing the panic mothers face when believing something negative has happened to their children. Even though questioning the child is not recommended, there is no parent that would put their child’s safety and well-being in the hands of law enforcement. After being witness to many of these cases, it is clear how misunderstandings occur when talking to children about a sexual allegation.

This is one reason the state of Michigan has started using a forensic protocol, which helps to prevent any type of suggestive questioning. Even in situations where parents don’t coach their children to say something, research has shown this can happen unintentionally and innocently as a parent tries to figure out what happened. Learn what a forensic interview is here.

It is also easy for women to understand how parents in a custody battle can become vindictive and coach a child to say things that are not true against the other parent. Even though children may have never experienced or made a sexual allegation, mothers (and women in general) understand how it may be possible to guild a child to say what they want them to. This includes false sexual assault accusations.

Female attorneys can look back to their pre-teen and teen years and consider their own experiences as an adolescent. Many young girls who get in trouble want to take attention from their wrongdoing and shift the blame. The need to escape a situation may result in false accusations against someone who actually did nothing. This is a type of criminal sexual conduct defense strategy in sex crime cases that men may not know about or think of. After all, it is developed by the criminal defense attorney‘s personal life and experiences.

Exclusive Focus on Sex Crime Cases

When you hire our criminal law attorney, you will find she focuses on only defending children, teenagers, women, and men who have been accused of a sex crime. With our services, we don’t split the focus. This means we never take on weapons charges, larceny cases, drug cases, or drunk driving criminal offenses.

If someone comes to us with anything other than a sex crime case, we will turn them down. While we are happy to refer them to another criminal defense attorney who handles those cases, we simply do not provide legal representation for them.

Since our law firm’s focus is exclusively on sex crime charges, we have the time and ability to focus on the research and science available to build the best possible sexual assault defense strategies for your case. We don’t focus on other practice areas, which is unique to many of the other sex offender lawyers in the area. Our legal team stays on top of the latest strategies and materials for defending these types of criminal offenses.

Along with being familiar with the latest trends and ideas, our team constantly learns from one another. Even if this is the first woman lawyer you have ever hired, it is likely going to be a smart decision and one that will help you build a solid defense for your case. With more than thirty years of practicing law, you can count on Attorney Nicole Blank Becker to provide you with the best legal services and criminal defense strategy for the charges you face.

Find an Attorney Whom Will Take Your Case to Circuit Court

Thanks to the experience we have defending criminal law clients for the past thirty years in circuit court, we have an advantage that other attorneys may not; we know how to try cases! It is important to ask a criminal law attorney about how many sexual conduct trials they have taken care of through the years.

While other attorneys may have handled a trial from time to time, we understand how to try cases, use expert witnesses, and build a viable defense. Since many plea deals in sexual assault and similar criminal cases involve the requirement to register as a sex offender and go to prison, if you are accused of a sex crime, you need a lawyer who is ready to fight for your rights. When it comes to sex crimes, having someone who specializes in these practice areas is a must. Our law firm specializes in taking cases to court when needed.

Getting Proper Legal Representation for Sex Crime Charges

Sex crimes are serious. Many come with jail time, extensive fines, and the requirement to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. No matter your age or what you have been accused of, the right sex crimes defense lawyer will help with your case and ensure a viable defense is built for your situation.

Our law firm is proud to represent indigent clients and offers services in sex crimes practice areas. If you have been charged with this type of crime, do not wait to hire an attorney.

As a female attorney serving clients in Michigan, Nicole Blank Becker is proud to provide her clients with reputable and experienced legal services to help them achieve the best possible outcome for their cases. When it comes to finding an attorney, you must consider many factors, like the practice areas they specialize in, their reputation in the community, and more.

Do you need a qualified and reputable female sex crime attorney in Michigan? If so, Nicole Blank Becker offers the legal services you are searching for. You can schedule a free initial consultation by texting or calling (248) 515-6583. You can also reach out to her legal team through email.

You do not want to wait to hire an attorney. By calling right away, you can feel confident that they will have time to gather evidence to help build a viable and effective defense strategy.