Acceptance of a defense by the court completely exonerates the defendant and not merely mitigates the liability.
Other parts of the defense include the opening and closing arguments and the cross-examination during the prosecution phase.
In common law, a defendant may raise any of the numerous defenses to limit or avoid liability.
[5][6] The goal of presenting character evidence about the victim may be to make more plausible a claim of self-defense,[5] or in the hope of accomplishing jury nullification in which a jury acquits a guilty defendant despite its belief that the defendant committed a criminal act.
Parties can finance their litigation and pay for their attorneys' fees or other legal costs in a number of ways.