A defense lawyer works for the defendant of a case. Typically, the defense lawyer is going to work on criminal cases; however, a lawyer can be called a defense lawyer any time they work for a defendant in a case. Even civil cases have defense lawyers.

The strict definition of a defense lawyer is an attorney who represents the defendant in a lawsuit or criminal prosecution. The second definition is a lawyer who regularly represents the defendant in an insurance claim and the lawyer is chosen by the insurance company. Another word applied to a defense lawyer is plaintiff attorney. This attorney represents clients who are in court for damages rather than criminal action. Like all lawyers these individuals must pass a bar exam in order to take cases.