In our previous post, we tried to shed some light on the differences between state and federal courts, and the superior, appellate, and supreme court levels as they pertain to criminal law. Today we'll briefly outline the difference between criminal and civil law.
The Law Office of Nancy King is a criminal defense law firm handling criminal law cases. These are cases in which the People of the State of California are attempting to convict a person for violation of the state penal, vehicle, or health and safety codes. Take, for example, when a person drinks alcohol, gets behind the wheel, runs a red light, and crashes into another car. All sorts of laws might have been violated, including driving while intoxicated and recklessly. The state, in the person of the local District Attorney, will prosecute the drunk driver and attempt to impose a penalty, such as a suspended license or jail time.
Distinct from these criminal cases, there are also civil law cases, in which one person (or group of people) has a dispute with another person and is trying to get restitution or compensation for damages. So in the example above, the victim of the crash might also file a civil case attempting to get money from the drunk driver (or insurance company) to cover medical expenses or lost wages. Superior courts in California handle both types of cases.
Obviously, quality legal defense is imperative when people find themselves charged with a crime and having to defend themselves in this complicated, imposing system.
