Compare and Contrast Essay: Criminal Lawyer vs. Civil Lawyer
Many people have been drawn to becoming a lawyer because of the drama, excitement, and wanting to defend innocent people and bring justice. There are two types of lawyers, criminal and civil. So what is the difference? While both jobs tend to share similar characteristics, there are several differences between them in terms of job description, burden of proof, and workplace. Studies show that in the burden of proof, it’s way harder to prove someone’s guilty in terms of criminal law than civil law. (Martella, n.d) In addition, both Jobs have similar yet different workplaces. Furthermore, both law firms have two different job descriptions that distinguish them from each other.
Firstly, in job descriptions, both law firms deal with companies and individuals’ cases.. However, in criminal law, the lawyer’s job is to deal with criminal cases and defend people who are falsely accused of a criminal offense, whilst a civil lawyer deals with disputes from two individuals or companies and deals with civil cases. For example, a criminal lawyer may handle cases such as murder, theft, assault, etc. While a civil lawyer may deal with cases like personal injury, divorce, battery, negligence, etc. (Diffen, n.d)
Secondly, in burden of proof, both law firms require to have a burden of proof during a case. However, in a civil lawyer case, the plaintiff must have the burden of proof also known as preponderance of the evidence. Whilst in a criminal lawyer’s case, the government has the burden of proof also known as beyond a reasonable doubt. (Enjuris, n.d) For example, in a civil law case, the defendant is guilty as long as there's 50% evidence by the plaintiff and lawyer 50%. However, in a criminal law case, the defendant is innocent and the lawyer is required to gather a lot of evidence until he’s 100% sure the defendant is guilty.
Lastly, both law firms tend to work in court during trial and in an office. However, a criminal lawyer tends to work in a criminal court during trial, whilst a civil lawyer works in a civil court. For example, when a criminal lawyer has a case, they head to a criminal court for trial. Unlike a civil lawyer, who handles civil cases and heads to a civil court during trial.
In conclusion, both law firms have their own similar characteristics. However, they both tend to be very unique in their job description, burden of proof, and their workplace. It is very important to be cautious when choosing which law job to choose by paying attention to these similarities and differences to help make their decision much easier.
References:
Criminal vs. Civil Law: Similarities, Differences & Common Examples. (n.d.). Enjuris. https://www.enjuris.com/personal-injury-law/civil-vs-criminal-law.html
Martella, M. E. H. (n.d.). COMPARING AND CONTRASTING CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LAW | Law 101: Fundamentals of the Law. OER Services. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-monroe-law101/chapter/comparing-and-contrasting-civil-and-criminal-law/
Civil Law vs Criminal Law. (n.d.). Diffen. https://www.diffen.com/difference/Civil_Law_vs_Criminal_Law.
