The court system can be a complex, confusing place. Just the procedures in the trial court can take years, and from there a criminal case can work through half a dozen court systems during the course of the direct appeal, post-conviction relief, and federal habeas corpus. A competent attorney is focused on the current proceeding, but considers the possibility of future proceedings as well; pre-trial motion practice can make a trial victory more likely, a good trial attorney preserves issues for appeal, and a good post-conviction attorney is familiar with the strict rules for exhaustion in federal habeas corpus.
