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").
Hallettsville is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,345 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lavaca County. The town is home to the Texas Championship Domino Hall of Fame and also hosts a dominoes tournament every year in January. It also hosts its annual Kolache Fest and Fiddler's Frolic events every September and April. Hallettsville is the birthplace of the late philanthropist and businessman Adolph R. Hanslik of Lubbock, a Czech-American sometimes called the dean of Texas cotton exporters. It is also the only place called Hallettsville in the world. Ripley's Believe It or Not once called it the city of thirteen. There are also rumours of a tree that has a chest of gold buried under it.