Editor's Note: This article is one of a series of articles discussing findings about what the four Appellate Division departments have been deciding about legal malpractice during the last five years. Future articles will continue to share findings from the data set, containing 357 published decisions.

Earning a living as a criminal defense lawyer takes guts.

Start with the lawyer's clients. They all deserve zealous advocacy, yet there are perils—and not just because attorneys are more likely than their civil-side peers to need added security, even armed guards in some instances, when meeting with their clients.