You will need the help of a criminal defence lawyer to help you through the legal proceedings, be it for prosecution or criminal defence.
Explaining the intricacies of the legal landscape is rarely simple, considering the scope of criminal law alone. This becomes even more apparent, knowing that criminal law is only a fraction of the law. Hence, knowing which lawyer to call can become quite confusing.
That said, criminal defence lawyers specialize in specific criminal charges, where they may provide the accused with a defence strategy based on evidence and facts. Below is a list of all the common practice areas that experienced criminal defence lawyers specialize in to help you learn when to contact one.
Common Practice Areas Of Criminal Lawyers
1. Driving Offences
When faced with driving offences, being quick is important as the accused often faces restrictions to their driving privileges. Until a settlement or a trial verdict is reached, these privileges remain suspended. A criminal lawyer can help the accused reach an agreeable settlement or a favourable verdict in trial.
Driving offences include traffic tickets and law violations, driving under the influence, driving while prohibited, and hit-and-run, to name a few.
2. Sexual Offences
Making sexual advances toward another person without their consent is defined as a sexual offence, something that is taken quite seriously in the legal world. When the verdict goes in the prosecution’s favour, the accused faces jail time, damage to their reputation and registration in the Sex Offender Registry.
Thus, criminal lawyers approach sexual offences tactfully and delicately, as the accusation is quite damning as is. These offences include sexual assault, sexual interference and exploitation.
3. Violent Offences
Canadian criminal law has some of the most serious penalties for violent offences, sometimes resulting in life imprisonment if found guilty. Naturally, an innocent person facing such a punishment is not an ideal prospect.
However, a criminal lawyer can use an effective defence strategy to try and have the accused acquitted. And if it isn’t possible, they strive to lower the severity of the punishment as much as possible.
The accused can contact a criminal lawyer if faced with any of the following charges:
- Murder
- Manslaughter
- Assault
- Verbal threats
- Harassment
- Robbery
- Kidnapping
- Attempted murder
4. Theft And Fraud
Theft and fraud are some of the most common accusations, and if found guilty, it can result in fines, jail time and a damaged reputation. A criminal lawyer can help the accused avoid a guilty verdict and restore what damage was done to their reputation.
This practice area includes offences such as theft, fraud, employee theft, possession of the stolen property, money laundering, tax fraud and more.
5. Other Offences
There are a host of other offences that you can contact a criminal lawyer for, including drug charges and possession of illegal materials. These include, but are not limited to:
- Criminal negligence
- Drug production
- Drug distribution
- Extortion
- Workplace fatality
- Drug trafficking
- Arson
- Possession of firearms and weapons
- Civil forfeiture
Conclusion
Criminal defence lawyers cover a broad range of offences, defending the rights of the accused whenever they are threatened. When you approach a law firm with a specific problem, it will be able to help you in multiple ways.
A point to remember is that the offences listed above are only a fraction of what criminal lawyers cover. All you need to remember is that when charged with a crime, you should contact a criminal lawyer at once. It’s a fundamental right that is protected by the judicial system, after all.
Hence, when facing unfounded criminal accusations, you should contact a criminal defence lawyer at once for consultation.
