Criminal Defense Attorney: who is and what does he do?
WHO IS A CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY AND WHAT DOES HE DO?
When charged with a crime most people look for any lawyer they can get a hold of. While any lawyer might be able handle such cases, a criminal defense attorney has more chances of winning the case than another lawyer who usually does not practice criminal defense.
A criminal defense attorney is a lawyer whose specialty is to defend an individual, corporate body or company that is charged with a criminal offense. A criminal defense attorney’s job is typically to defend citizens that are charged with misdemeanors and/or felonies. He/she can also discuss a plea bargain with the prosecutor as a way to resolve the case filed.
While private criminal defense attorneys are mostly hired by individuals, companies and cooperate bodies, they can also be hired by various criminal courts to stand in and defend low-income citizens (indigent citizens.) This is different from a Public Defender, who is a government employee paid to defend those that cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Criminal defense attorneys are usually well trained and experienced in that area. Aside attending a law school and passing the bar exam, they usually have practiced extensively under another criminal defense attorney who has been in the game for a long time, and have acquired sufficient experience and knowledge from them.
What Does a Criminal Defense Attorney Do?
A criminal defense attorney handles issues surrounding a criminal arrest, investigation, prosecution, sentencing, and issues that may arise after court proceedings (post-trial issues).
Some examples of a situation where a criminal defense attorney is necessary are driving under the influence (DUI) or a drug defense.
Another important role of a criminal defense attorney is to help his or her client before the prosecuting attorney files charges against them. This is done if you just got arrested or when you believe that investigations are being carried out on you. One should not wait until the government files charges against them to hire a criminal defense attorney.
A criminal defense attorney will deal with the procedural issues of the crime(s) that are charged against you. He or she will help with representation, will deal with law enforcement agencies and/or other crime investigators, perform personal investigations and present exonerative evidence that nullifies potential charges filed by the prosecutor.
Finally, an attorney specializing in criminal defense spends more time reviewing all the documents to determine if the criminal case can be victorious constitutionally due to misconduct by the government. A good criminal defense attorney will dedicate enough time to your case to ensure that the case is won at the end.
