The role of the defence lawyer is one of a zealous advocate, acting in the best interests of their client. However, a substantial body of evidence suggests that lawyers often operate as components within a procedural machinery that primarily processes the guilt or innocence of defendants. This phenomenon has led to the gradual erosion of the concept of zealous advocacy and adversarialism. Over the last 30 years, the adversarial process in England and Wales has experienced a steady transformation through incremental adjustments to the criminal justice system. The advent of the Criminal Procedure Rules 2003 (CrimPR) marked a notable shift in the handling of criminal cases, ushering in a culture of cooperation where both prosecution and defense cooperate with the shared objective of upholding the CrimPR's Overriding Objective: to deal with cases justly. This transformation has steered the criminal justice process away from its adversarial origins and toward a more managerial and process-driven framework. An additional manifestation of this managerial culture emerged with the introduction of Pre-Charge Engagement (PCE) in 2021. PCE sought to divert cases trial by initiating a dialogue between defense lawyers and the police. If effectively employed, PCE could help reduce the backlog of cases in the criminal courts and expedite resolutions for complainants, suspects, and witnesses. However, it is concerning that PCE is underutilised. This article contends that defense lawyers, by not fully embracing PCE, may not be acting in the best interests of their clients and certainly deviate from the conventional conception of a defense lawyer's role.

中文翻译：

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对抗性律师和客户的最大利益：收费前参与的失败

辩护律师的角色是一位热心的辩护律师，以客户的最大利益为重。然而，大量证据表明，律师通常作为程序机制的组成部分运作，主要处理被告有罪或无罪。这种现象导致了热心倡导和对抗主义的概念逐渐受到侵蚀。过去 30 年来，英格兰和威尔士的对抗式程序通过对刑事司法系统的逐步调整经历了稳步转变。2003 年《刑事诉讼规则》(CrimPR) 的出现标志着刑事案件处理方式的显着转变，开创了一种合作文化，检方和辩方均以维护 CrimPR 的首要目标：公正处理案件为共同目标进行合作。 。这种转变使刑事司法程序摆脱了对抗性的起源，转向了更具管理性和流程驱动的框架。这种管理文化的另一个表现是 2021 年引入指控前参与 (PCE)。PCE 试图通过启动辩护律师和警方之间的对话来转移案件审判。如果有效利用，PCE 可以帮助减少刑事法院积压的案件，并加快为原告、嫌疑人和证人提供解决方案。然而，令人担忧的是 PCE 未得到充分利用。本文认为，辩护律师如果不完全接受PCE，可能不会以委托人的最大利益为出发点，而且肯定会偏离辩护律师角色的传统概念。