I'm a defense lawyer. A lot of what you say is correct. Oddly enough, where I live, the top defense lawyers are reliably conservative.
Are most of my clients guilty of "something"? Yes.
Are all of my clients always guilty of something? No.
Do prosecutors ridiculously overcharge in order to pretty much force a plea? Yes. Do I believe in the 4th Amendment? Absolutely.
Do most prosecutors or judges believe in the 4th Amendment? Get arrested on a bogus search, then call me.
The defense lawyer exists to make the government do it's job, nothing more, nothing less. If we aren't here to stand in their way, who is going to defend YOU when they decide it's your turn to get hauled into the system?
Do I defend some shady and awful folks? Sure. They have a right to a defense under the Constitution. If the government has a case and proves it, then that person will go to prison. I have no problem with that.
Most law enforcement professionals and prosecutors are honorable folks doing their jobs--the majority of the time, they are in the right, but not ALL of the time. It's my job to ferret out the times they make mistakes or file bogus charges. I enjoy that, and ultimately the state doesn't get upset dismissing a questionable case. If you can't convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt of a person's guilt, then you need to dismiss, plain and simple.
I know a lot of people around here hate defense lawyers, but I promise we'll be here for you if you ever need us--although I think FR is largely populated with law abiding folk who wouldn't even get themselves into situations where they run afoul the law. : )
As a defense attorney you know how easy it is to run afoul of the law - without even knowing you've done so. And you know how often the prosecutors crank the meat grinder without even looking at the cases they are processing. They wield a huge bludgeon of disproportionate power and intimidate the F out of most defendants to force acceptance of ruinous "deals" that add another notch to the belt for them and destruction for the defendants.
Most people - FReepers included - just pray that they'll survive the encounter.
“-although I think FR is largely populated with law abiding folk who wouldn’t even get themselves into situations where they run afoul the law. : )”
I think that that is basically true but FR is also populated with some who fail to recognize that it is literally not possible to be a truly law abiding citizen in the USA of 2016. Everyone breaks the law every day without even being aware of it. I would guess that ninety percent or more of the laws currently in effect should be voided immediately. On top of that I doubt that we have a single member of congress who does not willfully break the law on a regular basis. We have several supreme court justices who are at best qualified to play the part of a supreme court justice in a high school play but never should have even been considered for the actual position. As far as law enforcement is concerned, in my home county it is unimpressive and I am trying to be kind.