What is a criminal defense attorney?

A criminal defense attorney is a lawyer who represents you in court. They may also be referred to as an attorney of record, or simply a defense lawyer. The role of your criminal defense attorney is to represent your interests and protect them in court proceedings.

A criminal defense attorney’s job is not always as straightforward as it seems; they are often tasked with representing people accused of crimes who may or may not be guilty, which can lead to conflicts between their duty to their client and their personal beliefs about guilt and innocence (or lack thereof).

The difference between a criminal defense attorney and other types of lawyers is that they only handle matters related to criminal law–they do not typically handle civil cases such as divorces, bankruptcy filings or personal injury claims unless those issues intersect with criminal charges brought against one party by another party (for example: if someone gets arrested for drunk driving while driving their spouse’s car).