Criminal Lawyer Career

When individuals or businesses are brought before a court as the defendant, they are at risk of having a judgment made against them. In criminal cases, the judgment can result in jail time and fines. In civil cases, the judgment can require the defendant to pay money. In both criminal and civil cases, it is the job of a defense attorney to represent defendants in court. Although a defense attorney may represent either criminal or civil defendants, in practice defense attorneys typically specialize in representing just one type of defendant.

Criminal Case Basics

A criminal case begins with a state or federal government prosecutor filing a complaint that charges a defendant with a crime. State prosecutors are generally district attorneys who are elected by county voters and federal prosecutors are U.S attorneys employed by the Department of Justice. The defendant is entitled to be represented by an attorney at every stage of the case to defend himself against the charges. The attorney representing the defendant investigates the facts and laws related to the charges and advises the defendant on how to plead, negotiates any plea bargain offered by the prosecutor and, if necessary, represents the defendant at trial.

Private vs. Public Defenders

Criminal defense attorneys hired directly by a defendant are generally in a private practice. Defendants who are unable to pay for a private attorney are represented by public defenders -- criminal defense attorneys employed by the government. Public defenders for state criminal cases are typically employed by the county government where the case is filed. For defendants in federal cases, public defenders are employed by the federal government. Regardless of whether a defendant has a private attorney or public defender, the attorney is obligated to work solely for the best interest of the defendant.

Civil Litigation Basics

Lawsuits that do not involve criminal charges are generally referred to as civil litigation. In general, civil litigation begins when a plaintiff files a complaint in court against a defendant. The plaintiff or defendant can be an individual person, a business entity -- such as a corporation or LLC -- or a government agency. In most cases, the plaintiff is suing the defendant for money. In other cases, the plaintiff may be asking the court to make an injunction -- that is, an order that prevents the defendant from engaging in certain activity. The defendant involved in civil litigation has the right to be represented by an attorney at every stage of the case; however, unlike the defendant in a criminal case, the government does not appoint an attorney for the defendant if he cannot afford to hire one.

Specialized Civil Defense Attorneys

Many private attorneys involved in civil litigation have experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants. This is particularly true for civil litigation involving business disputes, such as breach of contract. However, some attorneys specialize in representing defendants in civil cases -- commonly referred to as insurance defense lawyers. The defense attorneys are hired by an insurance company to represent an insured person or business who has been sued in civil court on a claim covered by an insurance policy, such as an auto accident. Because insurance companies must regularly hire attorneys for this purpose, they prefer to hire attorneys who specialize in insurance law and representing defendants in civil cases.

2016 Salary Information for Lawyers

Lawyers earned a median annual salary of $118,160 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, lawyers earned a 25th percentile salary of $77,580, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $176,580, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 792,500 people were employed in the U.S. as lawyers.