An attack on someone can leave the individual physically and mentally abused. The assault lawyer represents individuals who allege assault. The lawyer can specialize in assault laws and legal ramifications.
The judicial system considers assaults to be felonies. If convicted of a felony assault, the person accused may spend several years to life in prison. An assault lawyer represents the alleged victim of the crime as well as people accused of an assault.
Lawyers retained by the individual who has been assaulted are plaintiff’s lawyers, while the attorneys who represent the accused are defense lawyers. If an assault attorney has a small practice, the legal representative may handle both parties.
When working on these cases, the attorney may have to deal with people who are emotional and upset. The attorney must be able to distinguish facts from allegations. At the initial meeting, the attorney should get a summary of the events leading up to the assault. The assault attorney would then get a copy of any reports filed regarding the incident. He or she would interview witnesses regarding the attack.
The types of incidents an assault lawyer would see include physical harm, threats with intent to harm, and aggravated assault. Assault with intent to harm can be written or verbal, while aggravated assault is a violent physical act carried out using a weapon.
A domestic assault attorney would handle domestic abuse casesn and take necessary steps to protect the victim. If the victim consents, the attorney would file a restraining order to stop the accuser’s contact with the victim. Criminal lawyers see a variety of assault cases including murder, rape and robbery. These assaults are usually extremely violent in nature. Since the person accused of the crime may be in jail, the assault lawyer may need to go to the jail to discuss the case.
The victim in an attack may be in a hospital due to injuries. The attorney may need to travel to the medical facility. If the victim is unable to speak, the attorney may want to talk with the family.
Some assaults may have been committed in self-defense, and the victim could actually end up being accused of assault. In this situation, the attorney may want to get an expert who specializes in criminal investigations. Other duties an assault lawyer may perform are indexing exhibits and preparing for hearing. Attorneys often summarize medical information. Good research skills and the ability to analyze documents would also be helpful for this position.