Attorney - Introduction
Most of us, at some point during our lives, need to seek legal advice. Unfortunately, the legal system can be extremely intimidating to many individuals-but it doesn’t have to be that way. Education is the best cure for most intimidating situations and the legal system is not an exception. The following information should help to answer an individual’s basic questions about the process of choosing an attorney and working effectively with that attorney.
Types of Attorneys
There are many different types of attorneys that practice law in this country, so choosing the right one is important. For example, if you are in need of a criminal defense attorney it is generally inadvisable to hire a lawyer who practices personal injury law. You would be wise to find a lawyer who practices criminal defense more or less exclusively because he or she will know best how the criminal court process operates.
The following is a general list and definitions of different types of attorneys.
- A district attorney (D.A.) or prosecuting attorney is the title given to a local public official who represents the local government or jurisdiction in the prosecution of accused criminals. The D.A. is the highest ranking office holder in their jurisdiction’s legal department and often supervises a staff of assistant D.A.s and legal assistants.
- A criminal defense attorney is an attorney who specializes in the representation of individuals who have been accused and/or charged with a criminal offense. The client is generally referred to as the “defendant” during the criminal court process. A defense attorney either defends this person in a trial by jury or assists the defendant in plea bargaining. In a small percentage of cases, the defendant’s criminal charges are dealt with in another way such as dismissal of charges due to the establishment of legal requirements for the dismissal.
- A civil attorney is an attorney who practices an area or areas of the law other than those involving the prosecution or defense of criminals. This can include, but is not limited to, the following areas of the law: Entertainment law, family law, divorce proceedings, tax and IRS law, corporate law, disability claims, estate planning, personal injury, torts and other lawsuits, banking law, and probate law. Resources