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The Cochran Firm Legal Blog
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Friday, April 5, 2013
Civil vs. Criminal Cases
The Cochran Firm has both civil claims and criminal
defense lawyers in our offices across the country.
While both civil and criminal cases are serious matters,
there are also some significant differences between them. Those include:
- A criminal case concerns crimes against the state or society as a whole. A civil case is when one party commits an offense against another party.
- In a civil case, the person or group bringing the suit is called a plaintiff. In a criminal case, the government brings the suit and is known as the prosecutor.
- The victim does not bring the case to court in a criminal suit.
- In a criminal case, the burden of proof is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” In a civil case, the plaintiff merely needs to prove his case by “the preponderance of evidence,” which basically means that it’s more likely than not than the defendant is guilty.
- Most criminal cases are tried in front of a jury, while civil cases are often tried by a judge.
- Defendants in a civil case are not entitled to a court-provided attorney, while criminal defendants must be given a criminal defense lawyer.
These are just a few of the differences between a civil and
a criminal case. If you need further information about your claim, you can
speak with a civil claims attorney or a criminal defense lawyer at The Cochran
Firm.
If you need an experienced civil claims or criminal defense
lawyer, please contact
The Cochran Firm today for a free, no-obligation initial consultation at
one of our offices nationwide.
posted by Admin at 3:19 PM
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