What Does A Criminal Defense Lawyer Do?

By Meri Cifaldi


Have you asked yourself what is the work of criminal defense attorneys? Their responsibility is to defend the public, organizations, individuals and also the entities charged with a certain crime.

A criminal justice lawyer typically handles a multitude of serious crimes such as DUI or DWI, assault, murder, drug crimes, domestic violence crimes and fraud to name a few.

If a client has the means to hire his own attorney privately, that is the method preferred by most. But in many cases clients may not have the funds to hire a private attorney, in which case one will be appointed to them by the courts. You have likely heard of these attorneys as being called public defenders.

To be a criminal defense attorney one simply must pass the bar exam and hold a valid and up-to-date license in the state where they wish to practice in. A typical defense attorney will represent and fight for any client who is facing any criminal charges from a state or federal level.

Some of the duties that a criminal lawyer will carry bout include hearings for plea bargains, bail bond hearings, revocation hearings and appeals. In addition to these services, the attorney will also:

- Help in investigating the cases and interviewing the witnesses in court

- Help in researching the case law, codes of crimes, statutes and law which are procedural.

- Determining the best strategy and preparing an adequate defense based on that information

- Negotiate, if necessary with the prosecuting council in order to possibly obtain a plea bargain for his client

- If there is a need to try to get testimony or evidence dismissed, preparing those motions

- Acts as legal representation for the client

- Help in drafting, filing and arguing the appeals.

In conclusion, having a criminal defense attorney is very important if a person stands accused of a crime. In these cases, having a criminal defense attorney can mean the difference between freedom and jail time.




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