Goodrich- Jay Clothier often encounters those charged with murder, rape and other violent crimes.
Yet it’s his choice’that’s his job.
Clothier, a defense attorney represents those often avoided by others’those charged with sometimes heinous crimes’the ‘bad apples? of society.
‘Even bad guys and guys that break the law are entitled to good representation,? said Clothier, a Goodrich resident.
For Clothier, 37, the role of defense attorney is to act as the last line of defense for the most vulnerable people in society.
‘I think it’s important that somebody stand up for people’s rights,? Clothier said.
That is not to say Clothier has never been uncomfortable with the idea of defending someone who may have been involved in some rather grisly activities.
‘We don’t have to take any case. We pick and choose the cases we want,? Clothier explained. He has turned down clients who wanted to retain his services if he felt uncomfortable defending them.. To do otherwise, he said, would be a conflict of interests.
You can’t do a good job defending someone, said Clothier, when you think they should go to jail.
It is for that same reason Clothier often does not want to hear all the details of a case.
‘Sometimes I don’t want to know the truth’it inhibits my defense,? he said.
Despite the way lawyers are often portrayed, Clothier is not a man without a conscience. He has, he said, spent his share of sleepless nights.
‘I wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning a lot,? he said.
That is not to say he feels guilty or ashamed of his role in society’just the contrary actually? but rather that he does not take lightly the part he plays as a defense attorney.
‘I have to do what I do,? Clothier said.
A defense attorney, he explained, has the responsibility of representing their client to the best of their ability.
‘You have a presumption of innocence and it’s protected . My job is to give them the best representation they can get.?
If a criminal slips through, it is the fault of the prosecutor for not doing their job effectively, Clothier said.
‘I try to make sure that I serve my clients well. I hold the prosecutors to the same level.?
If one of Clothier’s clients is found guilty of a crime, he has to deal with the repercussions.
‘They blame us, they grieve us? the stakes are pretty high.?
Even though he is a married father of two’a picture of his smiling children rests on his large wooden desk, facing whomever sits opposite of him ? Clothier said he doesn’t fear for the safety of his family. He has made sure, he said, they are well protected.
I have an impressive alarm system, Clothier said.
One surprising development working in Clothier’s favor is the increased popularity of criminal investigation shows.
‘I think they help defense attorneys,? Clothier said.
‘There’s such a thing as a CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) effect,? he explained. Because of the high quality of evidence people are accustomed to seeing on television, said Clothier, they have higher expectations as jurors.