TRUTH AND PERCEPTION.

At night, the greenest tree presents itself in black. The same is true in broad daylight when looking at distant trees. So, from different perspectives, truth presents itself quite multifaceted.

Thinkers in ancient Greece already racked their brains over the concept of truth. Assuming that there really is one truth, it is clear that our perception is often far removed from it. In the readable book of economics Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman "Fast thinking, slow thinking" our perception errors are illustrated relentlessly, cleverly and vividly. Much more often than is generally assumed, people allow themselves to be deceived in their perception, fall into thinking traps and settle for the seemingly obvious..

Nowhere is establishing the truth more important than in criminal proceedings. Here, the stakes can be high. Often, defense attorneys are asked how they could reconcile representing a violent criminal or murderer with their conscience. If we approach the answer to the question from the perspective of truth and perception, it becomes more understandable that even the (seemingly?) worst criminal is entitled to serious and committed criminal defense. The task of the criminal defense lawyer is, among other things, to illuminate those facets of the truth that are beneficial to the client's point of view. It is necessary to prevent that one-sided or distorted perception of reality on the part of the court leads to a decision that is not justifiable for the client. From this point of view, the prosecutor and the defense attorney ultimately pursue the same goal, namely justice. A just acquittal is worth just as much as a just conviction.

The statement below (at 1:13) by Dr. Kathrin Albrecht, partner with BEELEGAL and criminal law expert, illustrates the illumination of a truth facet in the trial of one of her clients.