It is necessary to understand who is a Criminal lawyer and what he can do to help us. What can be his area of operation, roles and responsibilities? What you should be looking for in a criminal lawyer. This is because, when we face any criminal law suit, it is mandatory that we have a legal representation in the court of law to defend ourselves. After all, it is the matter of freedom or a long confinement and big penalties.
Understanding Criminal Lawyers
There are two types of lawyers dealing in criminal cases. They are also called federal criminal lawyer, since they are handling federal criminal cases.
One type of lawyers is called Federal Prosecutors. The Federal Prosecutors primarily prosecute federal cases in state Federal courts. They represent US government under ‘Department of Justice’. The Federal Prosecutors directly reports to US Attorney General. Their prime objective is to bring charges against those people, who are caught breaking the federal law.
Another set of criminal lawyer is called defense lawyer. These federal lawyers are responsible for representing the people accused of crime, in the court of law. These lawyers can also be called criminal justice lawyer, since they fight for the justice of common person. In American judiciary system, a person accused of crime is presumed as innocent, until he is proven guilty. Therefore, the United States Constitution has given rights to all accused in criminal cases to be represented by a criminal lawyer. The best part in US Justice system is that, it gives an equal opportunity to everyone, to defend cases- be it rich or poor. If we cannot afford to hire a criminal lawyer, the court will appoint one to represent our case, free of charge.
Our Fate In Their Hands
After understanding the categories of criminal lawyers, it is clear that the defense lawyers are the one, who handles our cases in courtrooms. Our fate, in terms of reputation and freedom, directly depends upon the skills of the defense criminal lawyer we will be hiring. Therefore, it makes sense to go for the best criminal defense lawyer to represent us. However, we should also understand that better the lawyer, higher the fee. Some defense lawyers charge by hour, while some will ask a flat fee to represent our case. We have to strike a balance between hiring a skilled lawyer, who can be affordable as well. Another aspect is availability of good lawyers. The effective lawyers generally occupied with commitments. Therefore, if we are looking for a good representative, we should not approach defense lawyers at the last moment.
Therefore, having a tie up with a good Criminal lawyer beforehand will save us from anxiety of hunting at the last moment.