Introduction
Sometimes criminals who are charged do not have enough money to hire their own lawyer or attorneys to represent them legally in the courts of law. This is where government attorneys step in and help them. Government lawyers are just like the other ordinary lawyers. However, they work for the government and are only summoned when the need arises. This means that one can not get a government lawyer in his or her own self for private interest; instead the government will allocate one for you.
History
The government attorneys can basically be found in a number of places but performing different roles. For instance, a government attorney has the role of being a public defendant and protects the rights of the accused who are not well off enough to hire private criminal defense lawyers. As mentioned earlier, a government lawyer has it in his or her responsibilities to offer legal representation to all the accused. The lawyer is also expected to inform the accused of his or her rights and keep him or her up to date with the proceedings of the court.
Features
The government attorneys also hold pleas and bargains as prosecutors. This is in the case where the accused admits to committing the felony and the government lawyer negotiates with the court to reduce the penalties for the charge. These pleas are much mote common in courts nowadays since they are time saving and offers a win-win situation to both sides.
Government attorneys also have the task of investigating businesses of any malicious behaviors under the regulatory agencies. These agencies are the ones that ensure no illegal businesses are carried out and that the companies are carrying out their activities as should be. Any company found to be violating any of the laws of the land such as disposing off wastes wrongly will be brought before the courts by the government lawyer and asked to pay a large sum of money to compensate the damage caused to the environment.
The government attorneys that work for these regulatory agencies however, need to have some experience in the area where the regulatory agencies deal in. For instance, regulatory agencies dealing in environmental fields will require the lawyer to have had some experience on environmental law in the privates firms. This makes them more competent to deal with the companies violating environment laws.
Tips and comments
Defending the government is also among the roles of government attorneys. For example, when the government appears in court, a government lawyer will be its legal representative and will defend the rights of the government to the latter. However, the lawyer that defends the government in court hearings is very important and is esteemed among all the other lawyers.
Last of the roles of the government attorneys is representing municipalities. This role requires a government lawyer to promote laws that will promote the growth of the municipality. These lawyers are locally based unlike the federal government lawyers that handle big criminal cases. This means they also understand the areas in which they operate well.
