Can the agent and defender in criminal proceedings be served by the same person, and whether the agent and defender must participate.

In judicial practice, the defender in criminal proceedings and the attorney for the defendant in attached civil proceedings are often the same person to facilitate work, save time in meeting the parties, and be more conducive to mediation in the civil part.

An attorney is not required, but may be more beneficial to the defendant because a settlement with a civil component may have an impact on the defendant's sentencing. An advocate is not required. Only under the circumstances specified in Article 34 of the Criminal Procedure Law will the People's Court designate lawyers to provide legal aid.