A criminal defense lawyer accepts the responsibility of representing a defendant--a person charged with committing a crime. Defendants may opt to have a criminal defense lawyer appointed by the court or pay for one's services.

Training

Criminal defense lawyers are required to graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. Although not required by all states, most states require people to pass a state issued bar exam and ethics test before becoming licensed attorneys.

Investigation

Criminal defense lawyers meet with their clients in order to find out what happened on the date of the alleged crime. If additional information or evidence is needed to protect their clients' interests and freedom, they may investigate further.

Research

Criminal defense lawyers perform legal research on the laws and rules that will affect a defendant in the criminal trial.

Relevancy

After investigating and researching, criminal defense lawyers determine what information/evidence is or is not relevant in a criminal trial. This applies to information/evidence that a defendant wants to present and that the person prosecuting the case wants to present.

Administration of Justice

Criminal defense lawyers assist in the proper administration of justice by filing motions to exclude improper prosecutorial evidence and arguments, presenting their client's story through the testimony of witnesses and arguing on behalf of their clients.

Resource:

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers