If you get arrested and are accused of a crime, the first thing that you should do is talk to a criminal defense attorney. This helps with your right to remain silent and not give the police further evidence against you.
The problem is, you might not be prepared to hire a lawyer if you have never been accused of a crime before. In 2020, there were over 93,000 criminal case filings in the United States, which is an increase of 3%.
If you were one of them, what should you look for in a criminal defense attorney? These are some suggestions.
Specialization
The first thing you want to look for in a lawyer is if they specialize in the type of case that you have because if they do, that means they have seen nearly identical situations to your play out in the courtroom and would have a better sense of how to handle it.
For this type of situation, you would want a criminal lawyer. Do not be afraid to ask a potential law firm or attorney if they specialize in criminal law because you will want someone that knows how to handle your specific situation by your side.
Successful Experience
On top of specialization, you will want to make sure your lawyer has a past that has proven successful in the court of law.
Obviously, you will want a lawyer that wins 90% of their cases over one that is lucky to win 50% of their cases, so you should ask about this before you hire a lawyer or do some digging to see what you can find out about their past cases.
Fees
Of course, the more successful a lawyer is, the more expensive they are likely to be so you should ask for a price quote in firm detail before you agree to hire a certain lawyer. For criminal cases, it is less likely a contingency fee would be a form of payment, so you would need to come up with a payment plan if the price is too high.
If the price quote is out of your range or you feel like it would put you in a bad financial position in the long term, you may want to consider going in another direction with a lawyer that is more affordable.
Location
Finally, one of the most important things that you can look for in a criminal lawyer is the location they practice their law.
A local attorney would be more likely to know how the courtroom that you would have to go in operates. They would also have more knowledge of local laws, and they would have more knowledge on what a judge and prosecutor in the area are potentially looking for in these cases.
Hire the Right Criminal Defense Attorney
If you find yourself facing serious charges from an alleged crime, it is important that you have the right criminal defense attorney by your side. Looking for these things can help save you from getting a record and potentially jail time.
For more information, check out our other Legal articles.
