Criminal Defense Practice Areas Part 1

There are dozens of practice areas that criminal defense attorneys see on a regular basis, and most can be categorized into eight distinct categories. We will look at four of those categories in this article, which is part 1 of a 2-part series regarding the many criminal defense practice areas for attorneys in the United States today. Some choose to specialize in specific subcategories, such as DUI attorneys or white collar specialists, but most represent a wide variety of defendants in the legal system.

Crimes Against Juveniles

Crimes against juveniles, especially children, can be very hard to defend against in our society, since the public outcry is so negative where these types of crimes are concerned. For that reason, many criminal defense attorneys choose to avoid crimes that involve children, unless the case has mitigating factors that make the case feel less deplorable. In other cases, the attorney offers representation without qualms, understanding that each client is innocent until proven guilty according to the 5th Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Some of the more common charges against defendants where juveniles are concerned include molestation charges, child abuse or neglect, failure to register, child pornography charges and similar charges, and child procurement charges. These are the types of cases that are often of great concern to the community as a whole, and the attorney can expect much more controversy when they are involved. They also often require special skills with judges and juries, who also tend to treat defendants charged with these crimes more harshly than other defendants.

Violent Crimes

Crimes that involve violence against other people or animals are serious crimes, and usually involve heightened risk of long-term incarceration, hefty victim remuneration and court costs, and significant social stigma. Violent crimes include many of the nation’s most heinous crimes.

Violent crimes include but are not limited to murder, manslaughter, assault, battery, hate crimes, and domestic violence. The victim does not have to have died in order for the crime to incorporate violence, and the crime may be against a person of any gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and social background without limitation. The court views the crime in the same light in almost any circumstance, except where self defense, mental incapacitation, the elderly, and small children are concerned.

Sex Crimes

This can be a touchy subject for criminal defense attorneys, and the overwhelming social stigma compares to that of child-related cases in many situations. Charges include such crimes as rape or sexual assault, prostitution and pandering, pimping and solicitation of prostitution, indecent exposure, failure to register, and similar cases. The sentence can follow the rest of your life in these cases, and you could be required to register as a sex offender if convicted.

This information is provided solely for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.

William Bly of The Law Office of William T. Bly is a criminal defense lawyer who spends a portion of his efforts on issues such as fraud charges in Maine. To read additional info, please visit the firm's site.