Criminal attorneys and public defenders represent those who are charged with a crime. The market for criminal law services is about $18 billion as of 2023, according to IBISWorld. While some criminal cases are relatively simple to fight, others may take months or years of work by experienced lawyers and paralegal professionals. There is a wide variety of different types of crimes that criminal attorneys offer their services for, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. Here are just a few examples.

Crimes Against People

Criminal attorneys manage cases for crimes against people, such as assault, kidnapping, and murder. Some of these may be crimes of passion, while others may be premeditated. Some are even committed while in the commission of a different crime, such as robbery or driving while intoxicated. Anything that causes harm, physical or mental, to another person can be classified under crimes against people.

Crimes Against Property

Some criminal actions against property include theft, trespassing, arson, and burglary. If there is destruction or appropriation of property that belongs to someone else, that is a crime against property. Property-related crimes range in severity based on the monetary value of the goods damaged or stolen. Criminal attorneys represent clients who have been charged with all kinds of crimes against property.

Crimes Against Financial Assets

A subset of crimes against property is in regard to money or any type of financial crime. This category includes crimes like fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering, to name a few. It's a complex segment of the criminal justice system that includes white-collar crimes committed by professionals and financial crimes that anyone can commit, like tax evasion or blackmail. Unlike property crime, where stolen objects must be resold for financial gain, financial crimes bring direct economic gain to criminals. Criminal attorneys take all kinds of cases related to crimes against financial assets.

Crimes Against Statutes

These types of crimes are those that are against legal statutes and violations of policy. This category of crimes includes drug violations and traffic offenses. It's important to note that these crimes do not hinge upon the individual knowing the law or not. The adage that ignorance of the law is no excuse holds ground. Criminal lawyers rely on evidence-based tactics to fight for their clients who have been accused of statutory crimes.

Overall, criminal attorneys handle cases that are criminal in nature, as opposed to civil cases. If you have been accused of a crime and need support from experienced criminal attorneys, reach out to The Law Office of Kelley M. Enderley, PC today. With over 15 years of experience, our team will fight for your rights in court.