Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you have been charged with a criminal offence, you need to appoint a criminal defense lawyer to represent you in Court. You do have the right to represent yourself but unless you are very confident and have experience in legal matters I wouldn’t do this. You could end up with a guilty verdict which can obviously also happen when a lawyer represents you but it is more common when people are not familiar with the legal process.
If you don’t have sufficient money to pay an attorney, the court will appoint one for you. Under the American Bill of Rights everyone is entitled to legal representation. Of course this doesn’t mean that the lawyer appointed to you will be the best. Some court appointed lawyers have so many cases that it just isn’t possible for them to mount a proper defense. Others it has to be said just don’t care.
Often highly paid criminal defense lawyers will take on pro bono work. This is work they do without charging clients. Some do this from a sense of public duty i.e. repaying society by using their expertise to help poorer clients. Others do it as it can earn them favorable brownie points with judges in the court system. When their agenda is anything other than the best result for their client, their presentation of your defense case will suffer! It is not uncommon for lawyers to put their clients under pressure to take a plea especially if they think the offer made is a good one. Often a criminal defense lawyer may believe that you committed the crime and it is easier to take a plea rather than risk losing the case and damaging his reputation.
Usually the information you provide to your lawyer will be covered by the attorney client privilege which is designed to allow clients to talk freely with their attorneys. But not all States offer the same protection so heed your lawyer’s advice before you release information.
The type of criminal defense attorney you require will depend on what you are charged with. For example if you are to appear in Federal court you need a lawyer with expertise in this area. If you are charged with a minor criminal act under State law, then a local attorney will do fine. If the charge is serious for example you are risking a long period of incarceration, you may want to consider engaging the best criminal attorney you can afford.
The law is different depending on which State the alleged offence occurred. For example driving under the influence of alcohol is a criminal offence is some States and a civil offence in others. The type of offence you have been charged with will determine whether you need a criminal defense lawyer or a civil one.