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Defense Lawyers: What They Do

A defense lawyer is an attorney who specializes in protecting the rights of those who are accused of criminal violations.

When to Call a Defense Attorney

An accused person should contact a defense lawyer as soon as possible after receiving a citation for a crime. The accused person can contact the attorney before or after he or she hears of the judge’s decision about bail. A judge may order a defendant to pay bail to get out of confinement before the hearing date. Judges usually decide to place bail on people who receive citations for serious crimes.

A defense lawyer can help a defendant with a number of cases. The defense attorney can assist a people who have been accused of a stretch of crimes from the smallest traffic violation to the most aggressive offense. The following are just a few of the crimes that a criminal lawyer can help a person with:

  • Shoplifting
  • Drug charges
  • Domestic violence
  • Assault
  • Harassment
  • DUI

The defense lawyer tries his or her best to maintain the idea that a person is innocent until someone can prove him or her guilty. This person strives hard to protect the integrity and the reputation of his or her clients.

How Can a Defense Attorney Help?

A defense attorney can help in a number of ways. One way that a defense attorney can help is by demanding proof of a violation from the beginning. For example, the attorney may ask the officer that accused the client of DUI to produce proof of a failed breathalyzer test. The lawyer may also ask the attorney if he or she read the defendant his or her Miranda rights. Failure to read someone the Miranda rights will result in an immediate dismissal.

Paying for Services

Defense lawyers have different requirements regarding payment. Some attorneys will allow their clients to have one free consultation, and others will charge their prospective clients a fee. The consultation is a meeting that provides both the attorney and the prospective client to get to know each other. The accused person gives the attorney details about the event, and the attorney then decides if he or she has enough information to defend the person appropriately. The two parties then create an arrangement that fits both sides well.

Contact an Attorney Today

A defendant never has to feel alone after a police officer charges him or her with a crime. That person can contact an attorney today and ask the attorney to represent him or her in the crime. The attorney will try for a dismissal. If the dismissal doesn’t work, the next step is trying to prove that the person is not guilty. The last step is trying to negotiate for a lenient sentence if the court finds that the person is guilty. A defense attorney will give the client his or her greatest effort at rescuing that person from the clutches of punishment. All a defendant needs to do is make a phone call and request an initial consultation.