Essential

Law

Being in a position where you need a lawyer is often a stressful place to be. There are many, many different reasons that people wind up in need of legal help.

Why People Need Lawyers

Sometimes they are being sued, sometimes they need to sue someone else.

Sometimes people get into criminal trouble and need a lawyer to defend them.

Sometimes people need a lawyer to help them adopt a child or draw up a prenuptial agreement for an upcoming marriage; and people often need lawyers to help them decide on things such as child support and child custody when a couple with children decides to separate.

Sometimes people need lawyers as a regular part of their business operations where a lawyer or law firm manages contracts and other legal documents, helps with taxes, oversees legal issues pertaining to the business and represents the business in court when necessary.

Many people use lawyers when they want to ensure that their wishes are upheld for who gets their possessions and assets when they pass

These are just a few of the many reasons people need lawyers in today’s busy world. If you need a lawyer, it is helpful to know what kind of lawyer you need and a little bit about the kind of help they can potentially provide to you.

If you are in need of a lawyer, do not hesitate start to looking for a lawyer and to contact one now. The sooner you contact a lawyer you can rely on, the sooner they may be able to start protecting your rights.

Essential Law Legal Information

Criminal Law Compared to Civil Law

The United States has two bodies of law that are meant to deter or punish serious wrongdoing or to compensate the person or people who have suffered from a wrongdoing.

Criminal Law deals with crimes against the state. In the criminal context, the state means either the federal or a state’s government . This doesn’t mean that a person necessarily tried to do something unlawful directly to the state but rather, the crime they committed has broken a law of the state. When someone’s behavior is or can be construed as an offense against the public, society, or the state, even if the immediate victim is an individual, it is considered a crime against the state.

Only the state can charge an individual or organization with a crime. Depending on the nature of the crime and other factors, defendants who meet the criteria may be assigned a court appointed public defender who is paid by the state. Punishment for crimes against the state usually include incarceration and/or probation. In some cases, someone who is convicted of a crime may also face loss of licenses such as a driver or professional license, loss of security clearances, fines and punitive damages,

Examples of crimes against the state include but are not limited to, driving while intoxicated, murder, assault, robbery, kidnapping, and embezzlement.

Civil Law is the system of law that deals with private relations between members of a community rather than criminal, military, or religious affairs. Civil law is concerned with behavior that constitutes an injury to an individual or other private party such as a business or organization.

Civil cases are initiated by a private party. Many civil cases settle before going to trial but if they do not, the outcome is decided by either a judge or a jury. Punishment in civil cases almost always consists of a monetary award and sometimes requires the defendant to change their behavior. Civil punishment never consists of incarceration.

Examples of civil law claims include but are not limited to, defamation, property damage, breach of contract, and negligence, malice or recklessness that results in causing injury, illness or death.

Many offenses can be both, criminal and civil. An individual or party can be tried in both a separate criminal and separate civil trial for the same offense. Typically, the criminal trial is completed before a civil trial can take place.