If you have been charged with a crime, it is essential that you find qualified legal guidance. A criminal charge could jeopardize you financially and legally. Depending on the case’s verdict, you could lose your job or driver’s license or go to jail. Your best strategy is to hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer – sometimes referred to as a lawyer of criminal justice.
A good criminal defense attorney should have experience with court cases. When hiring a lawyer, look for one who has had experience with clients who have battled the same charges as you are dealing with. After all, the lawyer who helped you through your divorce isn’t the right one to help you with drug possession charges.
When your case gets close to its court date, you should ask your lawyer about the other criminal defense team members. For example, you will want to know if the law firm has used an investigator or a psychologist. You should also ask your lawyer to rehearse some of the issues which might arise during the case. Your lawyer will have information about a problematic defense witness the other side plans to use, and you may want to be prepared about those matters.
Nobody particularly wants to be in a situation where they need a private defense attorney, but if you’re already in that position, you might be feeling a little (or a lot) confused about where to start. Here are four basic tips to get you thinking about what a good defense attorney should bring to the table:
1. Experience. This doesn’t just mean the number of years the lawyer has spent practicing law; it also means how much experience the lawyer has with a particular crime. You wouldn’t hire a defense lawyer who specializes in drug violations if you’re been charged with drunk driving, just like you wouldn’t hire divorce lawyer to handle foreclosure prevention on a home.
2. Trust. This isn’t something that can be measured through numbers or statistics, but it can be even more important than the lawyer’s concrete information. A client really needs to feel comfortable with the lawyer and feel a strong sense of trust.
3. Region Sometimes it is a good idea to take the area where your potential defense attorney lives and works into consideration (just to note, this doesn’t mean it’s okay to stalk them after work to see where they live). A lawyer who regularly visits certain courthouses is likely to be more familiar with unofficial protocol and be better able to predict the outcomes of cases based on past decisions made by the judge and juries.
4. Cost. Keep in mind that the best criminal defense lawyer may not be the one who charges the most — at the same time, it may not be wise to automatically choose the cheapest lawyer either. It’s a good idea to take price into consideration when choosing a good defense attorney, but not to make the decision entirely based on cost if possible.
It’s important to keep in mind that doing your own research can be helpful, but ultimately you hire a defense attorney because he or she has experience and expertise from years of schooling and practicing the law. If you get the feeling that the lawyer you’ve chosen isn’t right for you or for your case, then you shouldn’t hesitate to seek another professional to help you. Helpful sites: www.rkelawgroup.com
