A lawyer is a broad term for someone with a law degree, while a criminal defense attorney is a specific type of lawyer who focuses on defending individuals accused of crimes, handling everything from plea bargains to trials. The key difference is specialization: all criminal defense attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are criminal defense attorneys, as lawyers also work in other fields like family law, corporate law, or as prosecutors. 

A lawyer is a broad term for someone with a law degree, while a criminal defense attorney is a specific type of lawyer who focuses on defending individuals accused of crimes, handling everything from plea bargains to trials. The key difference is specialization: all criminal defense attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are criminal defense attorneys, as lawyers also work in other fields like family law, corporate law, or as prosecutors. 

A lawyer is a broad term for someone with a law degree, while a criminal defense attorney is a specific type of lawyer who focuses on defending individuals accused of crimes, handling everything from plea bargains to trials. The key difference is specialization: all criminal defense attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are criminal defense attorneys, as lawyers also work in other fields like family law, corporate law, or as prosecutors. 

A lawyer is a broad term for someone with a law degree, while a criminal defense attorney is a specific type of lawyer who focuses on defending individuals accused of crimes, handling everything from plea bargains to trials. The key difference is specialization: all criminal defense attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are criminal defense attorneys, as lawyers also work in other fields like family law, corporate law, or as prosecutors. 

A lawyer is a broad term for someone with a law degree, while a criminal defense attorney is a specific type of lawyer who focuses on defending individuals accused of crimes, handling everything from plea bargains to trials. The key difference is specialization: all criminal defense attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are criminal defense attorneys, as lawyers also work in other fields like family law, corporate law, or as prosecutors. 

A lawyer is a broad term for someone with a law degree, while a criminal defense attorney is a specific type of lawyer who focuses on defending individuals accused of crimes, handling everything from plea bargains to trials. The key difference is specialization: all criminal defense attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are criminal defense attorneys, as lawyers also work in other fields like family law, corporate law, or as prosecutors.