Lawyers vow to protect and defend their clients the best way they can. They are their clients’ legal representatives and their primary pillar of support in between court hearings. Ideally, lawyers are clients’ legal protectors, ensuring justice will be served.
Criminal defense lawyers, like any other attorneys, also share the same responsibilities. Criminal defense attorneys are legal practitioners who specialize in defending citizens and corporations accused of criminal misconduct. One can either hire their private defense attorney or if the budget’s a little tight and a person is financially struggling, a public legal representative, if the defendant passes all the qualifications needed, will be appointed by the court to help him with the trial.
Below are some criminal cases defense attorneys usually handle.
Domestic Violence
For people accused of cases that include violence such as child abuse, rape, kidnapping, and the likes – a criminal defense attorney is needed for the defendant to be represented in court. While these situations may appear severe and brutal, you can’t dispute that defendants are wrongly charged under certain circumstances. And, if the justice system doesn’t give them the chance to appeal their cases and plead their innocence, jail time will forever ruin many innocent lives, and criminals run free from the abuses they made.
Defense lawyers do their job to prevent this from happening and prevent their clients from getting serious charges such as loss of custody over their child, visitation rights, and even the loss of a job or hard-earned high reputation.
Driving under the influence (DUI)
Driving under the influence might not look that serious compared to other misconducts considered criminal cases. Still, scenarios under these circumstances can be pretty heavy just to let the defendant get a fine or get a smaller charge. A standard penalty for a person accused of DUI is losing a license or a year in prison. For cases where another person’s life was at stake or even lost, more severe punishment can be sentenced to the accused.
This is why in DUI cases, having an excellent criminal defense attorney is essential. While drivers are highly encouraged to avoid driving under the influence, defense attorneys will help you get a lesser degree of punishment when they find something that will help mitigate your situation.
Drug-Related Crimes
As all people know, drug-related crimes are among the gravest criminal crimes in all countries, with one of the heaviest charges. No punishment under the spectrum of this crime is considered easy and light- from solely being caught for having it as your possession to the most grave, a serious one – selling it. All of these cases have very long years of jail time and may even get someone registered as a drug offender, making it harder for him to process legal documents.
However, there are times when the person is innocent of the crime and was just being framed. It happens most in people trying to work as overseas workers. Without their knowledge and permission, their luggage will be placed with illegal drugs, leading to an arrest for drug trafficking, possession, or manufacturing. Criminal defense attorneys handle cases like this. They will investigate, gather evidence, and prove their client’s innocence to help them get free from the charges.
Defense attorneys are not just legal representatives of the client within the court. They will be the ones guiding the client and helping them with the case in and out of the courtroom. From preparing all the necessary paperwork to meeting with all the possible witnesses that can help with the case, defense attorneys go through it thoroughly to ensure their client’s welfare and advantage.