what is a criminal lawyer

A criminal lawyer, also known as a criminal defense lawyer, is an attorney who specializes in defending individuals, organizations, and entities charged with crimes. Criminal lawyers represent defendants in state, federal, and appellate courts, and they handle issues surrounding a criminal arrest, investigation, prosecution, sentencing, and issues that may arise after court proceedings. Some of the tasks performed by a criminal attorney include interviewing the client and the witnesses to gather facts, performing legal research to set up a defense and a case theory, gathering evidence in support of their case and analyzing the evidence presented against the client, drafting, filing and arguing motions on behalf of the client, gathering expert witnesses to testify in court, and discussing and negotiating a potential plea bargain with the prosecution. Criminal defense lawyers strive to minimize the harsh consequences of an arrest and deliver quality legal representation to persons accused of committing a criminal offense.