Veteran lawyer Plato Cacheris: My career defending notorious spy cases

With such an eye-catching first name, Washington-based defence lawyer Plato Cacheris was never going to struggle for an audience.

But don't ask this first son of Greek-American immigrants to be philosophical about his clients' crimes, regardless of their severity.

"As a defence lawyer, in the cases that I accept, I try to do the best for them, no matter what they've done. I'm not bothered by the fact they've committed these terrible crimes. I try to see that their rights are protected and they get the best disposition that they can possibly get. I don't lecture them on what they've done; I don't believe in that. What's done is done; now the question is 'how can we come out of it the best way possible way?'" he said.

Cacheris, 84, includes on his client list the men at the centre of the two biggest spy scandals in modern US history: former FBI agent Robert Hanssen and ex-CIA agent Aldrich Ames who spilled state secrets for cash and valuables to Moscow.

Along the way he has built up the reputation, contacts and considerable clout that only 49 years defending spies could bring and even former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has retained his services.

"I've dealt with the prosecutors for so long that they know me and we have a good relationship. It's my practice not to be antagonistic to the prosecutors even though they want to do one thing and I want to do another. We work it out. They have, I think, trust in me and I have trust in them."