criminal-law england-and-wales rape
Switching sides
<p>I'm writing a drama and need some help. Can a criminal lawyer in a rape case switch sides from the person they are representing to the victim if they have been fired by their client? </p>

<p>No.  As the defendant's lawyer, they will have been privy to privileged communications.  As such, it would be unfair to the defendant if they now started prosecuting.</p>

<p>Also note that a victim very rarely has their own lawyer in a criminal case.  The prosecution lawyer is acting for "the Crown" (essentially, "society as a whole").  (There are exceptions, if the victim is bringing a private prosecution - but this is <em>very</em> rare for serious cases such as rape).</p>
