Types of Criminal Lawyers

You might even have a favorite criminal prosecutor from one of your favorite TV shows or movies. Everyone knows about criminal lawyers. What a lot of people don't know though, is that there are actually quite a few different specific types of criminal lawyers. You will find a list of these types below.

Types of Criminal Lawyers

Private Criminal Lawyers

These characterize lawyers in private practice who offer their services to accused persons at an agreed fee. Their main job is to defend persons accused of a crime. Private criminal lawyers are an attractive source of revenue for both small and large-scale law firms.

Public Defenders

They are basically attorneys who are employed by either by a local county or a state, depending on where the prosecution takes place. The very essence of their names (public defenders) indicates that they deal mostly with cases that are in the public domain, and, therefore, possess huge workloads. They are salaried lawyers whose services are also enlisted by the federal public defender system for purposes of defending individuals accused of federal crimes.

Legal Aid Societies 

These consist mainly of lawyers from not-for-profit organizations. Their chief aim is to offer representation for persons accused of crimes who cannot afford to pay for private counsel. An example includes the New York Legal Aid Society.

Pannell Attorneys 

These consist of private criminal justice lawyers who are contracted by the government, both at the state and national level to represent poor defendants. They are remunerated on an hourly basis for their time. Their main purpose, aside from defending poor persons, is to provide a supplement to the existing public defender system.

District Attorneys 

It is the responsibility of the government to prosecute people accused of crimes. This process is primarily handled by the District Attorney’s office in most jurisdictions. The DA’s office is usually equipped with a set of lawyers who work under its authority to prosecute criminal cases at the state level.

United States Attorneys 

United State Attorneys are appointed by the President and affirmed by the Senate. Each is assigned a federal district and a staff consisting of assistant United States attorneys. These officers of the law are charged with prosecuting criminal cases at the federal level.

Corporate Lawyers 

Corporate lawyers are responsible for representing business entities in the legal realm. Their work is mainly to assist in drafting contractual agreements, filing patents, facilitating company mergers, and the drafting of the articles of association needed during incorporation.

Civil Rights Lawyers 

These types of lawyers render their services in respect of any form of discrimination, including racial, gender, sex and color. Their work description is mainly aligned with the violation of constitutionally granted rights such as the writ of habeas corpus.

Employee Rights Lawyers

 As the name suggests, these types of lawyers deal with matters relating to employment. Their work description is characterized as transactional and involves high levels of litigation. They make sure that employee rights are protected and that businesses operate within prescribed federal and state labor laws.

Family Lawyers 

Family lawyers handle all matters directly relating to family, which include; divorce, succession, drafting of wills, prenuptial agreements and custody battles.

Personal Injury Lawyers 

They deal with any type of injury or accident that could have been caused by negligence. Their services are needed in cases of car accidents, side-effects from doctor’s prescriptions, or injury arising from a defective product.