Criminal lawyers defend clients facing criminal charges. Most of these cases are handled by the state in which the client was accused rather than at a federal level. This is the most common way of trying defendants, as the U.S. Constitution grants power to individual states in most cases. However, when someone is accused of a federal crime, hiring a Federal Criminal Lawyer becomes necessary.
Crimes handled on a federal, rather than a state, level includes tax evasion, racketeering, and any crime committed across state lines. This latter category includes charges such as bringing a child across state lines and transporting illicit substances between states. Child pornography cases are often tried in federal court as well, depending on the particulars of the case.
Other circumstances that can lead to a case being tried on a federal level include the involvement of high-ranking dignitaries or other government officials or the presence of a significant relationship to interstate commerce. This stipulation allows things like gun offenses, bank robberies, and drug crimes to be tried on a federal level if they are sufficiently severe. Most federal crimes, including terrorism, are only tried at a federal level without the involvement of the state judicial system. Others can be charged on both a federal and a state level, frequently including drug charges. In these cases, double jeopardy does not apply, and defendants can be tried in both federal and state courts for the same crime.
Those who are accused of federal crimes have access to the services of a lawyer trained specifically in the field of federal defense. Because the scope of crimes that are tried federally tend to be more serious than those tried on a state level, it is extremely important for federal criminal defendants to ensure that they have adequate representation in court. Federal lawyers like our company Have to be sworn in to practice on a federal level. For those who are unable to afford representation, a Federal Criminal Lawyer will be appointed by the court. In the event that a public defender is assigned, he or she must also have experience in the specific field of federal law.
