In law, there are two standard kinds of off lawsuits: criminal and civil. Civil claims are lawsuits between two private parties, often two individuals. Criminal lawsuits are claims brought by the state or federal government against an individual or group.

Civil cases are initiated by the victim, and criminal cases are initiated by the government through a prosecutor. Criminal attorneys are those who defend the plaintiff in criminal lawsuits.

What Criminal Lawyers Do

Criminal attorneys represent their clients in lawsuits that are filed by the government. Their clients are people or groups who have been implicated in acts that are crimes of some sort. It could be a misdemeanor, which is a less serious crime like drunk driving, or it could be a felony, which is a major crime like murder that could end in prison time. It could even the death penalty. Many people think of felonies when they consider criminal lawyers, but criminal lawyers likewise represent plaintiffs who are dealing with misdemeanor charges.

Lots of people who are being charged with a crime wait to work with a legal representative. Possibly they think the charges will be dropped, or perhaps they believe that the potential penalty does not necessitate the cost of hiring a lawyer. They may think they can represent themselves in an effort to save money. Whatever the reason, this is a bad idea since criminal attorneys can often be of the most help ful at this same time.

One way that a lawyer can assist is by negotiating a dismissal of the case. Lawyers know the best ways to spot potential weaknesses in the district attorney’s defense. In some cases by presenting these weak points to the prosecuting lawyer, they can help to negotiate a termination of the charge before the charges are officially filed.

A lawyer can also assist a plaintiff by assisting to negotiate a plea deal. This involves an admission of a sense of guilt in return for a minimizing of the prospective repercussions and an avoidance of the courtroom appearance. Many individuals charged with misdemeanors can prevent much of the expenditure of a court case by plea-bargaining.