Criminal law is a rather large area of law to practice. There are numerous sub-practices under this same heading. If you just google "criminal law attorney" to find a lawyer, you will see that the various types will overwhelm the search results. You will need to narrow it down much more than that. Which type do you need? Here is how to get better results when trying to find and hire a lawyer for your own criminal case.
Criminal Defense vs. Criminal
In all cases, there is a defense and a prosecution. The criminal prosecution lawyer typically works for the county and state in which he/she practices, and he/she is the lawyer that prosecutes or tries an individual or group for the criminal charges brought against that individual or group. If you are contacted by a criminal lawyer who casually says that he/she works for the courts and would like to ask you some questions, STOP.
This is not the criminal lawyer you requested to defend you, but is actually the prosecutor. He/she is on a "fact finding" mission and may be misleading you by misrepresenting who he/she is. If you have requested a public defender, a lawyer who defends those facing criminal charges, find out exactly who is assigned to you, and speak to no one else. Anything you said freely to the other lawyer over the phone can be used against you, even if you were led to believe that this was the lawyer assigned to you.
What you want is a criminal defense lawyer, one who specifically defends the accused. Always ask with whom you are speaking, and ask who it is that lawyer represents. It will keep you out of a lot of trouble.
Fitting Your Supposed Crimes to the Right Criminal Defense Lawyer
Now that you know that you need a criminal law attorney, you have to sort through dozens of them to find the ones that practice the type of law that applies to your case. Were you charged with drunk driving and vehicular injury to others? You need a DUI lawyer. Were you charged with embezzling? You need a white collar crimes lawyer. Were you charged with assault, battery, and/or homicide? Then you need a criminal defense attorney that defends just those cases. If you cannot afford a lawyer, make sure that the one appointed to you by the courts knows exactly how to defend your particular case. Your assigned lawyer will always ask to meet you in person so that you know exactly who was appointed to your case to defend you.
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