I am writing to you concerning the lack of equal representation in court by their lawyers. Did you know that about 1-6% of court cases have ended up in wrongful convictions? Additionally, just above 4% of people wrongly convicted of crimes are on the death penalty. One of the major reasons behind these excruciating facts is that their lawyers had not given them enough or equal representation. For many, the issue of unequal representation in court has become a problem because those who are serving punishments, probation, jail time, and even the death penalty while being wrongly convicted of a crime. But you also depend on a lawyer. It is the sixth amendment as your right to a fair trial. But when it comes to not being able to afford a lawyer, you are given one. But usually, ones who aren’t privately hired are most circumstantially busy. Those who have privately hired lawyers appear to get better representation as they have the time. On the other hand for non-private firms, on their desks lie dozens upon dozens of papers for clients they haven’t even greeted yet, so they have no time to review or study the case for the wellbeing of their client. This can result in poor representation for their client. Having researched this issue, I have come to the conclusion that we need to make prominent changes in courts for how good their lawyers are for their clients. The fact that even a small percentage of people are wrongly convicted for crimes they never were guilty of is a huge issue in itself. I believe that we need to step up to make change for the lawyers so that their clients get equal representation.

Having equal representation in court is important so that people have the justice they deserve. In court, it can be hard to decide who is truly guilty and who is not. Lawyers are professionally trained to find out just those things that seem impossible. But not all lawyers are the same. Some lawyers are stronger in their arguments than others. Lawyers who come from private law firms tend to have a better understanding of cases and bring in more justice. They are able to study and review cases thoroughly. Though, lawyers such as public defenders can sometimes not be up to the same standard. Public defenders are given to those who are unable to afford a lawyer. They, unlike private law firms, have more cases. Piled in their desks are many papers- whether it’s a car ticket dispute or possession of a child. They don’t have as much time to take a look at cases and give thoroughness in their arguments for their clients. Research has shown that public defenders have about 25-30% less time to review cases. That can make key points to be missed for good arguments. While, with a private attorney, you would be able to have a case that has been explored. If the victim had a public defender and they hadn’t reviewed the case well, and the defendant had a privately formed lawyer, it creates an unequal balance. The defendants argument would be stronger, more compelling, while the victims argument wouldn’t be as strong. The differences in arguments could change the mind of the judge-leaving them truly wondering if something actually happened. This could lead to the judge even choosing to dismiss the case and leave the victim completely empty. Victims who face injustice because their case was dismissed can face great charges, debts, and much more. It is important that we recognize that injustice should not be tolerated because in inequality

Another reason why having equal representation in court is important is because it would guarantee the constitutional right to a fair trial. In the year 1789, James Madison had drafted the sixth amendment. The purpose of this amendment was to stop the new US government from representing the British colonial abuses. Things such as secret trials, locking up people indefinitely, and denying juries were seen and the Americans knew this was unfair. After the draft, it was ratified into the constitution on December 15, 1791. It became a part of the Bill Of Rights, saying that we had the constitutional right to a fair trial. This being said, if there was unequal representation in the case, it would be violating that amendment. We should be able to have a fair trial, and not have to worry about the other side being more strong in their plead. Approximately 1-6% of all cases end up in wrongful convictions, leading to a direct violation of the sixth amendment. This being said, we need to find a way so that the violations stop, because we are guaranteed these rights as a US citizen. When we are unable to give the guaranteed rights to citizens, it creates an uneven equality during the session.

 Some people may argue that some lawyers are just more specialized in what they do rather than others. Some may believe this claim because some lawyers are more skilled than others. They have more experience, and they may have studied harder in college than others had. However, I would argue that this counterclaim would be still unfair even because of that. No matter the person, they should be able to have a fair trial. It is completely true that some have more experience than others do, and I understand that. But it is our constitutional right to be able to have a fair trial. The ruling should not be judged upon wealth (who can afford a better lawyer) or the status of a person (of higher importance), but on them as citizens. No matter who they are, what color their skin is, what household they live in, where they live, where they came from, and how they are as a person, they deserve to have a fair trial. And someone who has had more training and has a powerful voice should not be able to win the case because of the fact that they are better. Fairness for each individual would guarantee their rights-and it’s important that we remember that. 

 It is clear that something needs to be done to the lack of equal representation in court by their lawyers. Cases would be a lot better and fairer if we had brought equal representation into court. We need to bring this change in by collecting the best information upon this topic and presenting it to people who have the authority to help create this change. People could be Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren, and some local lawyers who have been faced with this experience would be great to contact. My first step of action that I am planning to take is to interview a Judge at Lawrence District Court, to see if they have seen the inequality between lawyers. Next, I will try to get in contact with a lawyer, and ask them many questions about how they feel about some other lawyers. I will attempt to contact a public defender and a lawyer from a private law firm. After this, I will gather my evidence and try to state my case and contact Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren to try and see if we can proceed to even getting to Chief Justice. It would be an honor to make fairness imputed into court again, as it could make the lives of many better. Afterall, if we do not take action, the problem will be recurring and will just get worse over time.