Five Key Considerations When Hiring a Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you're faced with a criminal charge, hiring a criminal defense lawyer is your best shot at getting the best results. Fortunately, there are many criminal defense lawyers out there who can represent you. Shortage is not an issue, but the more important question is, how do you know which particular lawyer is right for you? There are five key considerations that can help you find the answer.
1. Professional Experience
You don't just want a lawyer from http://helpingclients.com/areas-of-practice/criminal-defense/ who has passed the state bar exam. Most things about criminal defense and the practice of law in general can only be learned by experience, and that's exactly what you want your attorney to have. While there are many new and promising lawyers out there, you can (almost) never go wrong with someone who has been seasoned by time.
2. Court and Case-specific Experience
Aside from experience as a legal practitioner, experience with the specific charge you're facing is something your lawyer must have. Like doctors, lawyers have specialties too, and even within specialties, there can be subspecialties. What you need is a criminal defense lawyer who has spent most of his practice defending people who were facing the same charge as you. For example, if you're facing DUI charges, find a lawyer from this site who is experienced with DUI cases. Also make sure you hire someone who has significant court experience, just in case your case goes to trial.
Connection and Chemistry
This part is crucial but sadly often neglected. When you hire a lawyer, you are practically entrusting to him your future. And how he will be able to handle it is has a lot to do with your lawyer-client relationship. In other words, you have to be comfortable with your lawyer and trust him all the way, or the results of your case could be compromised. If you want to learn more information about criminal defense lawyers, you can visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Criminal_defenses.
Practicals
Never overlook the practical side of choosing a lawyer. Don't pick someone whose office is hours away from your home or workplace. Don't get someone whose fees are way beyond your budget, no matter how good he seems. There are always equally good lawyers within reasonable distance. Finally, if you're hiring a law firm, know who exactly will be handling your case. You need to be communicating with a person, not a "firm" - a person who will keep you updated on your case every now and then and provide that human element that is so important for every lawyer-client relationship to be successful.