- Crown attorneys are lawyers who represent the Crown (or government) in court and are responsible for prosecuting criminal cases. Responsibility of prosecuting cases is shared between the provinces and the federal government, with provincially appointed Crown attorneys prosecuting the Criminal Code offences and federally appointed Crown attorneys prosecuting persons charged with violating other federal statutes, such as the CDSA. In Yukon, the NW territories, and Nunavut, federally appointed Crown attorneys are responsible for prosecuting ALL cases!
- Involved in a range of activities – provide advice to police officers at the pre-charge state; prepare for a trial (e.g., they collect evidence from the police and other sources, research case precedents, and interview victims, witnesses and experts who may be called to testify); and prepare for post-trial appeals. Crown counsel are also involved in negotiating pleas, developing trial strategies, managing witnesses, arguing conditions of bail, recommending sentences to the court, appealing sentences deemed too lenient. Crown attorneys must also remain up-to-date on changes in the law and in judicial precedent, including decisions in Charter cases.