A lawyer who has studied and specializes in criminal law is best known as a criminal lawyer. Such an attorney is qualified for defending an individual who has been alleged to committing a crime. A criminal case generally involves a defense lawyer that defends the alleged criminal and another attorney that represents the government, well known as a prosecutor. Defense attorneys that practice criminal law have the skills to defend their clients against an array of cases that range from simple crimes like ticket-less travel to more serious crimes like murder.

A Jacksonville criminal lawyer may be employed by a law firm or the government, or they might even practice independently. The government also hires such lawyers at times for representing the defendants. These attorneys are known as public defenders. In some countries, the government offers the services of a public defender from alleged criminals that are not able to hire a lawyer on their own.

The primary role of Jacksonville criminal lawyers is to provide legal support to their clients. To do the job efficiently, it is important for the attorneys to overlook their personal views regarding the case at hand. So, a defense attorney needs to defend his or her client regardless of his or her personal belief on whether the client is guilty or innocent.
Lawyers specializing in criminal law appear in court quite regularly. Apart from the time they have to spend during the trial, they ideally appear in court to represent the alleged on various occasions such as bail hearing.

A criminal lawyer also has to perform a few tasks before appearing in court. They need to spend a significant amount of time garnering relevant information from their clients and witnesses before the proceedings are initiated. When the prosecutor gives a plea bargain to the alleged criminal, it’s the role of the defense lawyer to discuss the matter with the client. The lawyer is tasked with educating the defendant on the consequences or legal implications of accepting a plea bargain.

A criminal attorney is also required to conduct legal research in order to find out things that would strengthen the case. Recording the statements of witnesses is also another significant task of a criminal lawyer. However, there are times when they may hire a professional investigator to look at certain parts of the case. They could ideally hire competent witnesses to help with the case.

If you are charged with a crime in Jacksonville, it is usually advisable to use the services of a criminal attorney.