FAQ: What Is a Victim’s Rights Attorney?

In my earlier blog post, I wrote about what a criminal defense attorney does. So what might the opposite of that be? Meaning, if I represent people who are charged with crimes, who represents the victims?

While it’s not a true legal term, what people are looking for in this case is a “victim’s rights attorney.” That is usually a law firm, (often at no cost) that will help represent people who have been victims of crimes. (In Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center is the place I refer people to for this).

If you’re the victim of a crime and you want help getting a very specific result for that defendant — if you really want to make sure the judge “throws the book at them,” — they might be able to help you with that. As a criminal defense attorney, this is not something I get involved in.

Sometimes, though, there is one exception to this: if you’re the victim of a crime, and perhaps the person being charged with the crime is a loved one (as is often the case with domestic violence charges), you might want the case dismissed. When that is the case you may want to hire a criminal defense attorney like myself who acts as a liaison to the prosecution. The details are very important in this scenario so it is important not to generalize.

So if someone really wants to “go after” someone else who hurt them or wronged them, I’m not the right guy for the case; they should contact a victim’s rights attorney who specializes in helping them get satisfaction through the courts.