How can good, expensive lawyers remove or drastically reduce your punishment?

Question

I always hear about rich people hiring expensive lawyers to escape punishments. How do they do that, and what stops more accessible lawyers from achieving the same result?

In: Other

Answer 1

98% of convictions are a result of plea bargaining. Expensive lawyers represent your commitment to wasting as much of the courts time as possible, giving you more leverage to haggle for the lowest punishment.