Can a lawyer defend immediate family members? Lawyers can defend immediate family members. After a criminal suspect is detained for criminal detention, the lawyer shall be entrusted by the client or his close relatives to visit the detention center in accordance with the law. According to Article 33 of the Criminal Procedure Law, a criminal suspect has the right to entrust a defender from the first day he is interrogated or taken compulsory measures by the investigation agency; during the investigation, he can only entrust a lawyer as a defender. The defendant has the right to entrust a defender at any time. When interrogating a criminal suspect for the first time or taking compulsory measures against a criminal suspect, the investigation agency shall inform the criminal suspect of the right to entrust a defender. The People's Procuratorate shall inform the criminal suspect of the right to entrust a defender within three days from the date of receipt of the case materials transferred for review and prosecution. The people's court shall, within three days from the date of accepting the case, inform the defendant of the right to entrust a defender. If a criminal suspect or defendant requests to entrust a defender while in custody, the people's court, people's procuratorate or public security agency shall promptly convey the request. While a criminal suspect or defendant is in custody, his or her guardian or close relative may entrust a defender on his or her behalf. After accepting the entrustment of a criminal suspect or defendant, the defender shall promptly notify the case handling agency.
2. What are the fees for criminal defense lawyers? The fees charged by criminal defense attorneys vary from place to place. In the three stages of investigation, prosecution, and trial, fees can be charged in stages or in one go. The specific fee can be adjusted up or down through negotiation with the lawyer. Here we take Shanghai as an example: 1. Piece-rate charging standards (1) Providing legal consultation, representing appeals, accusations, and applying for bail pending trial during the investigation stage: 1,500-10,000 yuan, per case; (2) Prosecution stage: 2,000-10,000 yuan, per case; (3) First instance stage: 3,000-30,000 yuan, piece. Those who represent criminal private prosecution cases or serve as victims’ representatives shall determine the fees according to the above standards. 2. Hourly charging standard: The hourly charging standard for representing criminal, civil, administrative litigation cases and state compensation cases, as well as representing appeals in various litigation cases, is 200-3,000 yuan/hour. 3. Charging instructions (1) If the criminal suspect or defendant in a criminal case is involved in multiple charges or criminal facts at the same time, charges may be based on the charges or criminal facts involved. (2) The civil part of criminal incidental civil litigation cases shall be governed by the charging standards for civil litigation cases. (3) Acting for various types of litigation cases shall be based on the fee standards for first-instance cases. (4) For major, difficult, and complex litigation cases, upon agreement between the law firm and the client, the negotiated fees may not exceed five times the standard. The determination standards and related measures for major, difficult and complex cases shall be formulated by the Municipal Lawyers Association and reported to the Municipal Price Department and the Municipal Judicial Administration Department for filing. (5) The aforementioned charging standards, unless otherwise specified, refer to the charging standards at the first instance stage of litigation cases. Individuals representing individuals in second instance, death penalty review, retrial, and execution cases shall be subject to the charging standards for the first instance stage. Those who have been agents in the previous stage will be charged half from the next stage. Based on the above, lawyers can defend themselves as defenders regardless of their relationship with the criminal suspect. As long as professional ethics are implemented in accordance with regulations, the opinions given can be recognized. Therefore, you should try to find a legal lawyer when handling the case. Evidence can be used to defend one's relatives in order to reduce the criminal legal burden of the parties concerned.