Lisa Pelosi: Many years ago in college I did an honors program when we were in the criminal courts in Philadelphia and I was captivated by the trials that I saw. I was interested not only in the legal aspect of it but also the social aspect of it.
How some people find themselves in predicaments? How some people who are really wonderful human beings sometimes make mistakes and get caught up in the criminal justice system?
I also saw the other side of it where victims sometimes are not treated well by the system and I thought I could make a difference. I decided actually in college that I wanted to not only be an attorney but I wanted to practice criminal law.
Interviewer: Do you ever hear criticism from friends or family saying, oh, how could you defend those people, they’re bad people?
Lisa Pelosi: I’ve often been asked the question as a criminal defense attorney. When I was a prosecutor, nobody ever asked me how could you prosecute someone, what if they’re innocent?
Every Individual Has the Right to a Fair Trial
I firmly believe in the criminal justice system and that everyone has the right to a fair trial, no matter who the person is and no matter what crimes they’re tried with or accused of.Everyone deserves a fair process.
So, people do ask me that question often and I find it’s very easy for me to defend someone. This is because I don’t believe that I’m only defending them for the crime they’re accused of.
Every Citizen Is Afforded Certain Rights under the U.S. Constitution from the Time of Their Arrest and through the Trial Process
I also believe that I’m trying to do my work to protect the Constitution to make sure that the police do the right thing, that the prosecutors do the right thing, because everyone deserves a fair process.
