CRIMINAL LAW SOLICITORS

What is criminal law?

Criminal law is a vast area that covers crimes ranging from drink driving and theft through to the most serious offences of murder and rape. Criminal law also covers international jurisdiction and legal cases such as money-laundering, terrorism and cross-border offences. Criminal law solicitors can work on both private and public cases

When would a criminal law solicitor be needed?

A criminal law solicitor could be needed in a variety of cases and can support the victim of a crime or defend the accused, but not both for the same case.

In private cases, the majority of work carried out by a criminal law solicitor will be in defence of those accused or guilty of a crime. The solicitor will work to communicate the reasons that the defendant acted the way they did or to try to demonstrate the innocence of the accused. Alternatively, a criminal law solicitor might work in public practice, and this means that they will work for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) or the Public Defender Service (PDS) and they will be charged with the task of proving to a jury that the accused was guilty.

There are a huge array of case types that a criminal law solicitor can work on, including cases of sexual assault, murder, fraud, kidnapping, terrorism and cross-border crime.

What does a criminal law solicitor do?

Criminal law solicitors normally work on a case from its start right through to the end. The work on each case will be varied, but some of the general duties that may apply to each case may include:

• Filing a case
• Gathering evidence, statements and reports relating to the case
• Carrying out visits to clients and related individuals in police stations or prison
• Gathering additional information from witnesses
• Reviewing medical reports and police reports
• Filing pleas
• Filing motions
• Liaising with police, court workers and probation officers
• Presenting information in court hearings as necessary

If the case is not conducted by a barrister, the criminal law solicitor will take on this role, meaning that they will have control of their client's case during court hearings. If the case does not go in favour of the solicitor's client, they may also carry out further work relating to any appeal that is requested.