We’ve all heard the term ‘white collar crime’, but what exactly is it and do you need a white collar lawyer to defend. A white collar crime is “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.” That definition was coined by Edwin Sutherland in 1949. As for the lawyer, yes, you want white collar lawyers representing you, not the juvenile defense attorney who represented your neighbor’s child, nor your DWI defense lawyer who got you cleared of all charges.

When it comes to federal white collar crime cases the attorney you hire should be thoroughly grounded in the law of federal criminal procedures as well as have vast knowledge in the criminal law or laws that you are suspected to have violated. The white collar lawyers you hire also need to know the rules of the federal courts and how they operate at the various stages of a white collar crime investigation.

You want an attorney that is completely honest with you but does not feed you only what you want to hear. If the attorney you are talking to is only telling you good things, telling you not to worry, that you have nothing to worry about then head for the door and find yourself another attorney. While hearing those things might make you feel better, do you want a lawyer who possibly believes what he is saying and therefore doesn’t feel the need to fight hard for you. No, you want white collar lawyers who are realistic about any possible outcome and will fight to the best of his/her ability and will get you the best outcome they can.