Essentially, an individual will need a criminal defense lawyer when facing allegations of a crime. Overall, a criminal defense attorney’s goal is to ensure the defendants rights and protect their client from prosecution by the court. A criminal defense attorney must be aggressive in court and knowledgeable of criminal law in order to serve the person they are representing. The opposing side prosecuting the defendant must prove all elements of the crime in order to win the case. In order for the conviction of an individual, the jury must rule in favor of the prosecutor’s case “beyond a reasonable doubt”. The jury or judge will only be able to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt if all the elements uncovered by the prosecuting team prove guilt without a doubt.

A criminal defense lawyer can also negotiate with the prosecutor, consequently, opening the door for the ability to lessen an individual’s sentence and/or decrease the amount of charges. A good criminal defense attorney tacitly understands the hidden costs of a guilty plea, and with knowledge and experience in criminal law, a criminal defense attorney will be ready to assist the person they are representing. Most of the time, a defense attorney has a team, which assists him or her to gather all the information necessary to provide a brilliant defense. This is very important within a criminal defense team, because more support can prove to be a critical advantage to the defense team. Often times, multiple minds can formulate more ideas when in a group setting rather than alone, especially when facing a deadline or serious sentence.