Criminal Defense Lawyer
A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal conduct. In the United States, criminal defense lawyers deal with the issues surrounding the apprehension, searches of client or property, and arrest of his or her client (Fourth Amendment), as well as any statements the client may have made. (Fifth Amendment). Criminal defense lawyers also deal with the substantive issues of the crimes with which his or her clients are charged. In the United States criminal defendants are entitled to the presumption
of innocence until prosecutors prove each essential element of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Serious crimes (e.g. felonies) in the United States are tried to juries of twelve people and the jury must be unanimous in its verdict to either convict or acquit the defendant. A split in the jury is often called a "hung jury" and may result in a retrial of the defendant. Criminal defense lawyers actively pursue their client's cause through all stages of a criminal prosecution.
Criminal defense lawyers in the United States who are employed by governmental entities such as counties, states, and the federal government are often referred to as public defenders. These are often fresh law school graduates seeking to gain quick courtroom experience, but there are many older, extremely well experienced lawyers who have made public defending a lifetime vocation. There are also private defense lawyers who are retained by individual clients on a case by case basis.
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DWI DUI
In the penalties for drunk driving have steadily increased throughout the past years as
organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving have lobbied for stiffer penalties. Higher
fines and penalties have increased the importance of proper legal defense when cited for drunk driving."DUI defense", a branch of criminal defense law, involves attorneys, investigators and forensic toxicologists who attack prosecution evidence on behalf of accused DUI offenders.
Generally, DUI attorneys seek to elucidate inaccuracies in forensic breath and blood testing as well as bias, inexperience and incompetence by arresting officers. It's not uncommon for DUI charges to be plea bargained into lesser offenses or sometimes dismissed through legal technicalities or jury trial acquittals.
In California Section 23152 states: It is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug, to drive a vehicle. The law also state that any person convicted of the violation is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished upon conviction by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
Personal Injury Lawyer
A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who provides legal representation to those who claim to have been injured, physically or psychologically, as a result of the negligence or wrongdoing of another person, company, government agency, or other entity. Thus, personal injury lawyers tend to be especially knowledgeable and have more experience with regard to the area of law known as tort law, which includes civil wrongs and economic or non-economic damages to a person’s property, reputation, or rights.
Even though personal injury lawyers are trained and licensed to practice virtually any field of law, they generally only handle cases that fall under tort law including, but not limited to: work injuries, automobile and other accidents, defective products, medical mistakes, slip and fall accidents, and more.
The expression "trial lawyers" can refer to personal injury lawyers, even though most cases handled by personal injury lawyers settle rather than going to trial and other types of lawyers, such as defendants' lawyers and criminal prosecutors, also appear in trials.
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:
* the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;
* issues arising during marriage, including spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption,
surrogacy, child abuse, and child abduction
* the termination of the relationship and ancillary matters including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, and parental responsibility orders (in the United States, child custody and visitation, child support and alimony awards).
Types of divorce
No fault
Main article: No-fault divorce
The most common type of divorce is a no-fault divorce, in which the couple agrees that they no longer wish to be married, and a divorce is granted to both parties.
Fault
A fault divorce is a divorce that takes place on the grounds that one party can be considered at fault. Many reasons can be given for one party to receive a fault divorce, such as adultery by the other party, an inability by the other party to engage in sexual intercourse, or infertility of the other party that was not discussed beforehand, or one party being imprisoned for a certain length of time.
Debt Settlement Lawyer
Debt settlement, also known as debt arbitration, debt negotiation or credit settlement, is an approach to debt reduction in which the debtor and creditor agree on a reduced balance that will be regarded as payment in full.
As long as consumers continue to make minimum monthly payments, creditors will not negotiate a reduced balance. However, when payments stop, balances continue to grow because of late fees and ongoing interest.
Consumers can arrange their own settlements by using advice found on web sites, hire a lawyer to act for them, or use debt settlement companies. In a New York Times article Cyndi Geerdes, an associate professor at the University of Illinois law school, states "Done correctly, (debt settlement) can absolutely help people". However, some settlement companies may charge a large fee up front; or take a monthly fee from customer bank accounts for their service, possibly reducing the incentive to settle with creditors quickly. One expert advises consumers to look for companies that charge only after a settlement is made, and charge about 20 percent of the amount by which the outstanding balance is reduced.
Foreclosure Lawyer
Foreclosure defense is term used to describe a set of legal tactics and strategies used by consumer lawyers and advocates to fight and defend lender foreclosure actions. This emerging legal practice gained momentum, acceptance and notoriety with the subprime mortgage meltdown crisis of 2007–2009 as foreclosures in America soared to new heights.
Foreclosure defense involves a proactive fight against both judicial and non-judicial
foreclosures of property wherein borrowers and their attorneys deny the legal claims or authority of the lender to foreclose. Common strategies include produce the note; prudential and legal standing to foreclose; Truth in Lending Act (TILA) violations; TILA rescission; predatory lending and predatory servicing; fraud; breaks in chain of title; and other tactics.
