In a criminal case, the state, through a prosecutor, initiates the suit, while in a civil case the victim brings the suit. Persons convicted of a crime may be incarcerated, fined, or both. Criminal defense attorneys represent clients who have been accused of committing a crime, and defend their rights at each stage of a misdemeanor or felony case -- from an arrest to an appeal after conviction. Criminal defense attorneys may be hired privately or provided by the government (called "public defenders").
Metairie is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Adjacent to New Orleans, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were incorporated. The zip codes that serve the community are 70001-70006. The original spelling, Métairie, is the French language term for a tenant farm which paid the landlord with a share of the produce, as this was the main activity of the area from the 1760s to the 1930s.