Choosing a Criminal Defense Lawyer

Do some research when choosing a criminal defense lawyer. A criminal legal battle can be a long, arduous road and a lawyer's ability to defend your case effectively can be a deciding factor as to whether or not you face fines, or worse, jail time. The right lawyer can not only decrease your chance of accruing penalties, they can move your case along efficiently to lower potential court fees.

Do Your Homework

As you go about choosing a criminal defense lawyer, you first need to do some informed research. Scout out reputable law firms that handle criminal defense cases in your local area using this website, or through consulting colleagues, family members, or peers that may have experience or knowledge in legal matters, whether professionally or personally. Individuals should also note that locating a criminal defense lawyer from the jurisdiction of your arrest is important, as well. Fortunately, a whole host of attorney profiles are available to view on this website using our zip code search box, which will guide users directly to a directory of attorneys in that jurisdiction.

Once you find a firm, visit their LawFirms.com profile to see who makes up the criminal defense team. Most companies offer detailed biographies of their lawyers, including their education, legal background, and specializations. Based on these biographies, find a few lawyers from different firms that are a good match for your specific case. For persons standing accused of a crime, it is important to find a lawyer that has experience specifically dealing with the type of arrest or arrests that you are facing. Many attorneys will bill themselves as a consummate criminal defense attorneys, which may be true, however, locating an attorney that specializes in defending cases similar to your own will undoubtedly work in your favor.

Interview your Potential Lawyers

With your narrowed down list of lawyers, the next phase of choosing a criminal defense lawyer involves interviewing your potentials. Take note of their experience handling criminal defense cases like yours. Be aware of how many specific questions they ask you about your case and see how much of an explanation they give you about what to expect during a trial. Also, discuss the firm's fees and how they are billed during the process.

Many law firms have whole departments that cover specific areas of the law and can roll cases between several different lawyers, depending on case volume and experience. Be sure that you will be represented by the lawyer you interviewed about your case.

How Do You Proceed?

Open communication is vital in any legal case, but lack of it can drastically, and negatively, affect a criminal defense. Knowing how to contact your lawyer when the need arises can alleviate a lot of the possible stressors you may face along the way. During the interview, obtain any and all possible contact information from your lawyer including email addresses, phone numbers and fax lines. Ask if they have an assistant that will be working with them on the case and write down all their contact information as well.

Discuss how often you will be meeting to go over the details of your case as well as where these meeting will take place. Some firm's require in-office meeting while others are find with off-site discussions. The specific criteria of your case will affect how this process will be handled.