Can a civil lawyer also be a part of a criminal case?

Question:

I’m a victim in a case and while I know I’ll have a prosecutor on my side I’m also aware that they’re working for the state, not me. I’d like to hire an attorney for the civil case and I was wondering if the attorney would be able to work with the prosecutor and actually speak at the criminal trial.

Answer:

Yes you can hire your own lawyer to serve as your victims advocate. You are correct the prosecutor doesn’t represent you and is not required to have your best interests at hurt. Sometimes these can create conflict in rate situations, but it does happen. Your attorney can help you make a claim to the Florida Crime Victims Compensation fund, and can also sue your perpetrator in civil court as well where the burden of proof is much lower. A good attorney can also look at other potentially responsible parties for potential negligence claims and go after their insurance policies depending if that entity did something wrong or had negligent security. You may have some issues so you should at least do a consultation with a local attorney to see what your rights are.