When most people think about crime, white collar crimes are not the first thing that come to mind. White collar criminals do not fit the standard Hollywood depiction of lawbreakers in this country. Most of us might picture something like a bank robbery, or a lone gunman knocking over a liquor store. Maybe images of murder come to mind, or extortion schemes by the mob. White collar crimes, however, are way down the list for most of us.
Nonetheless, white collar crimes are a real fact of living in this modern world. According to white collar crime statistics, they are way up in the last couple of years. Although rates for murders, assaults, and other violent offenses seem to be down nationwide, white collar crimes are still perpetrated as much or more in most areas.
If you are accused of a white collar crime, it is important that you get the best representation that you can. Criminal representation is always important, of course, but the representation for white collar crimes is especially crucial. You see, white collar criminal lawyers need to have a more subtle understanding of the law than people representing other kinds of crimes. If you are representing someone suspected of murder, all you need to be able to do is cast reasonable doubt that they killed someone in a certain time or place. With white collar crimes, however, the issues are much more complicated.
I have represented several people accused of white collar crimes in my time as a lawyer, so I know what I am talking about. The difference between white collar crimes cases and other kinds of criminal law is that the facts of the case are often not disputed in white collar cases. You are not trying to prove, for example, that your clients did not kill someone. You are trying to prove that your clients financial transaction was not illegal, or something like that. It is not a matter of life and death, but of shades of meaning in the law.
There is another big difference in street crime vs white collar crime. In street crime, you are much more likely to have charges actually brought against you. People accused of white collar crimes are very infrequently tried. It is so expensive, and they are so likely to have good representation, that the government does not go after them. The public doesn’t care as much about white collar criminals, you see. If you are brought to trial, however, God help you. The government obviously thinks that it has a very solid case and has decided to make an example of you.
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