French Criminal Law lawyer
TEAMS
Our lawyers
Skills
Our lawyers work in these areas of criminal law:
What’s criminal law?
Criminal law is one of the fundamentals of law, defined by the Penal Code.It punishes the various crimes, misdemeanors and related offences, within the competent courts. Criminal law lays down the rules for any behaviour or offences that run counter to social order. It determines the penalties to be imposed on the perpetrators of crimes or offences. The aim of such framework is to eradicate dangerous behaviour in society, or at least to limit it as far as possible. Generally speaking, criminal law concerns the relationship between society and the individual. This branch differs from civil law as civil law focuses on relationships between individuals and/or legal entities. Criminal law, on the other hand, confronts the accused with society. Thus, the aim is to preserve public order and the safety of individuals and their property. There are specific branches of criminal law, including business criminal law and tax criminal law.
Business criminal law
The business criminal law comprises all legal rules relating to criminal offenses applied to the business world. It also comprises all the economic rules than can be penalised. The business criminal law may concern: – Companies owners who have committed misuse of corporate assets, swindles, breach of trust, tax evasion, etc.); – Companies which have been victim of misappropriation, theft, etc.; – Offenses made by companies (deceptive commercial practices, etc.).
Tax criminal law
The tax criminal law concerns different tax reduction forms. This speciality of the law foresees sanctions against companies and individuals who attempt to evade their duty to pay tax.
Trial
Our victories in criminal law
Our dedicated team of lawyers work tirelessly to defend your interests, providing you with tailored legal solutions and high-quality representation
Service
Support in criminal proceedings
Goldwin lawyers firm is by your side at each stage of the criminal proceedings. Whether you are due to be brought up for immediate trial or be the subject of a police investigation, our skilled lawyers are at your disposal.
Criminal proceedings take place as follows:
- Investigation: depending on the case – free hearing, police custody, detention pending trial or correctional or criminal indictment.
- Decision: Appearance before the appropriate Court to deal with your case.
- Execution of sentence
Whether you are involved for an offense or a crime, our lawyers help you to know what your case’s stakes are. We support you at every stage of the proceedings and we develop a strategy linked with your interests.
1 – INVESTIGATION
The investigation starts with police custody and a free hearing. You may decide to call on a criminal lawyer at this moment.
Then, the inquiry (correctional or criminal indictment).
Finally, the accused is remanded in custody.
2 – DECISION
The decision stage takes place as follows:
- Appearance before the Police Court
- Appearance before the Juvenile Courts
- Appearance before the Correctional Court (Tribunal Correctionnel) and the Court of Appeal.
- Appearance before the Criminal Court (Cour d’assises)
Whichever court is involved, your lawyer will accompany you and defend you before the magistrate.
3 – PUNISHMENT EXECUTION
Your lawyer can also advise you and defend you in detention litigation (Disciplinary board, transfer, etc.) and for the enforcement of sentences. Generally, the aim here is to obtain a reduced sentence.
The criminal law lawyer defends individuals suspected of criminal offenses before the appropriate Court . They appear before the French criminal jurisdictions (Cour d’assises, Tribunal de police et Tribunal correctionnel).They intervene on behalf of their clients in trials in which individuals are accused of serious offences. As a result, the client is exposed to prison sentences, sometimes considerable ones. A criminal lawyer is familiar with the types of crime covered by criminal law, the associated penalties, the mitigating circumstances that may apply, etc.. A criminal lawyer specialises in crimes. These crimes may be committed against a natural or legal person, or against a person’s property. The status of the natural or legal person facing criminal proceedings may be that of respondent or victim.
To choose the appropriate criminal law lawyer, it’s essential to know the experience and the expertise area of the lawyer. A good criminal law lawyer must know the Penal Code perfectly and all the offenses, either crimes against people (assault, rapes, homicides…) or against property (theft, swindles, breach of trust). He has to master criminal proceedings and know how to defend you efficiently at every stage: during the investigation (police custody, examination), before appropriate Courts (Criminal Courts, court of appeal…) and for the execution of the sentence (sentence reduction, early release…). Question him about his previous cases. An experienced and renowned lawyer in this complex domain of the law will know how to promote your interests and your rights perfectly.
Criminal law lawyer fees depend on several factors as the complexity of the case, time spent of the file, the reputation and the lawyer’s experience. Generally, a criminal lawyer charges a hourly rate (from 150€ to more than 500€ per hour depending on the years of experience), or a flat rate for all the proceedings. This fee can vary from a few thousand euros for a simple case tried in an immediate court appearance, to several tens of thousands of euros for a complex criminal case requiring many hours of work and pleaded before a Criminal Court (Cour d’Assises). In some cases, the lawyer may also ask for a success fee in the event of a favourable outcome. It is important to discuss fees transparently with your lawyer from the outset of the relationship, in order to draw up a fee agreement and avoid any unpleasant surprises.Legal aid may cover all or part of the lawyer’s fees, subject to a means test.
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