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People charged with an offence of this type often legitimately claim that they acted in self defence, or in defence of their property, or in defence of another person. But there is a lot more to raising these defences than just simply declaring that you felt threatened and so acted in the way alleged. For example. the applicability of any form of self defence is dependent on the degree of force used during the act which you claim to have been done in self defence. This is one area where in matters of this nature the law becomes quite complex. And if this issue is not resolved in your favour, then your claim of self defence (no matter how threatened your felt) will fail and you will be convicted. This, as well as other complex issues that arise in matters of this type, can only be properly explored by a skilled criminal lawyer.
In fact, people charged with offences of this type have even greater reason to ensure that their case is handled skillfully than those charged with non violent offending, because the law says that courts should not regard jail as a sentence of last resort if the charge involves violence.
And beyond all of that, looms the prospect of being ordered to pay large compensation awards to victims if you are convicted of any offence of violence. Obviously, this could affect the security of your home and other assets.
For all of these reasons, offences of violence are definitely the sort of matter for which you should seek expert assistance.