The lawyer, in coming up with an effective criminal defense strategy that will hold up in court, would have to rely on his mental acuity and his skills with word use. Criminal cases tend to be tricky, depending on the nature of the accusations; hence, strategies of criminal defense will vary. Although one strategy is effective for one case, it does not automatically mean that it would have the same successful results when used in another.

Top most strategy lies in the speaking the truth, meaning the client has to tell the attorney the truth of the facts of the case. Note, that what is considered as the 'truth' has variations in it, which the attorney and the client will exploit as their defense for the case. For example, let us look at a murder case. The client may have done it due to excessive provocation, or in self-defense when attacked. Any or either of these truths can be used to develop a solid defense that the attorney will feel confident will hold up in court.

The attorney will name three elements of the truth that the client should adhere to throughout the handling of the case. If the client admits that he did commit the crime, it is the lawyer's responsibility to look into and assess the various mitigating factors that caused the event. If the client repudiates the accusations, the lawyer will push for facts that clear indicated that his or her client is vindicated from events. On the other hand, it could be a case of combining the first two elements. The client witnessed the crime and could even be said to have been partially involved. However, he did not commit the crime, as he was accused. These three variations would have to be attested to by the clients, and from there, the lawyer will draw up a theoretical framework for the defense.

Now the lawyer would look into the police report and other police statements about the crime. He will compare it with the facts provided by the client. Aside from looking for loopholes and questionable timeframes, this is also an opportunity for the lawyer to see if there is anything he could capitalize on for his rock solid defense. An attorney with the actual facts will be in a better position to come up with a consistent defense that will clear the client of any wrongdoing. They will use the truth (factual evidence) to discredit the prosecutor's claims. There are even times when the lawyer will twist the prosecution's words and make it work in favor of the client.

You can also strategize by having the client/accused grasp full familiarity with the entire defense developed by the lawyer. In this strategy, some truth-bending would have to be done. Therefore, it is important that the client be coached to never lie about anything that could work negatively for the defense. The attorney will coach his or her client on what they to expect and what to say while on the stand. The expected questions during cross examination will be asked by the lawyer as he subjects the client to mock interviews and cross examination sessions. As far as solid criminal defense goes, having a consistent and credible story is very important. You will be able to establish consistency if you do these practices.