How Do You Know When You Have a Good Criminal Lawyer?
When people are charged with criminal cases, many people are uncertain what kind of lawyer to hire. First of all, when you receive a citation or a letter from the prosecutor indicating that you will or may be charged with criminal charges, you should consult with a criminal defense lawyer. Don't buy into the belief that the best lawyers know how to handle any kind of case. It's not so. Criminal law is complicated and specialized; thusly, you should hire a lawyer whose practice consists at least 80% of criminal cases.
An ideal criminal defense lawyer anywhere should know how to manage all stages of a criminal prosecution, including pre-charge investigations, interrogations, pre-trial negotiations, pre-trial motions, jury trials, appeals, creative sentencing schemes, later parole hearings, early probation/parole termination, pardons and expungements. Your attorney should know exactly what strategy is best suited for each important stage of a criminal proceeding, and should act accordingly.
Good criminal defense lawyers are not afraid of fighting a case in front of a jury, but are smart enough to get the best results from negotiations with prosecutors. A good attorney should guide you through an investigation by police/ federal agents so that you don't expose yourself to unnecessary liability, for example, by answering questions that you are not required to answer, or allowing them to search where they have no right. And he/she should point to a reputable bail agent, in the event of arrest.
You should want him or her to be a real trial lawyer, and not just a negotiator. Good trial lawyers are respected (and sometimes feared) by prosecutors, and get much better pre-trial negotiation results. If the prosecutor knows the defense lawyer is willing to fight a case until the end, you can expect offers to get better and better as the case goes on. Such is not the case for trial-newbies who convince their clients to accept deals prematurely. Of course, if the prosecutor will not take a reasonable counter-offer, or will not dismiss the case, then that prosecutor should know that he or she will be in for tough battle.
Many attorneys only practice law in one county, or in one city. Many very good attorneys practice in a club-like setting of lawyers, but it seems to breed the myth that "who you know matters more than what you know." Practical realities aside, this remains a county of laws and ideals. The best attorneys know how to travel to any city or court and win. Just because a lawyer is new to a particular court, does not mean he will be treated poorly. By acting professionally, and holding him or herself to the highest standards of professional conduct, foreign courts and lawyers tend be welcoming to the travelling attorney, especially if he or she is very knowledgeable of the local court customs.
A good attorney is educated in the scholarly points of law, and should have the skills to draft and orally argue appeals. Evidence and Constitutional Objections must be stated artfully to protect your appeal chances. Lawyers who take to the time to become skilled appellate advocates are better equipped to preserve your chances of having a bad ruling by a trial judge reversed down the road. Inexperienced judges are as common as inexperienced lawyers. You need criminal defense lawyer that can handle all criminal litigation circumstances.
If you are looking to hire an attorney, even if he or she comes on good recommendation, ask about the cases he or she has handled. Many attorneys boast about getting cases dismissed, or getting good deals for clients. You should look into those claims. How many were charged but never filed? Post-arrest discharges indicates the prosecutor's case was weak, and the defense lawyer didn't have to do much work. Does the attorney represent government informants (snitches)? No one trusts a snitch; so, don't trust the snitch's lawyer either; if a lawyer is willing to "roll" his client over to the feds, it shows lack of heart and character under difficult circumstances. How many cases were charged and then dismissed? This is an indicator that the attorney does his or her homework and is diligent in protecting you. How many jury trials did he or she handle? This indicates that the attorney does not deal cases when the going gets tough, and is a battle-tested court warrior. How many cases were dismissed on the day of trial? This would indicate that your attorney is able to scare the prosecutor into giving up, before the real fight begins, which shows your attorney is a feared court warrior.
The most important test of a good lawyer is whether he or she is personable and approachable. What goes for everyone goes for lawyers, too. Lawyers should be polite and courteous. I find that snobby, arrogant lawyers don't get better results than sharp but diplomatic attorneys. If you can't connect with your attorney, chances are your attorney can't connect with anyone.
Unless you are a seasoned criminal, you probably won't know how to go about finding a good criminal defense lawyer. Career criminals know the members of the defense bar on a first name basis. Independently wealthy people often find lawyers through their network of friends. Today, the middle to upper income members of society rely on telephone books and the internet to find lawyers in their area. This article should help those people research the right attorney for their case.
An ideal criminal defense lawyer anywhere should know how to manage all stages of a criminal prosecution, including pre-charge investigations, interrogations, pre-trial negotiations, pre-trial motions, jury trials, appeals, creative sentencing schemes, later parole hearings, early probation/parole termination, pardons and expungements. Your attorney should know exactly what strategy is best suited for each important stage of a criminal proceeding, and should act accordingly.
Good criminal defense lawyers are not afraid of fighting a case in front of a jury, but are smart enough to get the best results from negotiations with prosecutors. A good attorney should guide you through an investigation by police/ federal agents so that you don't expose yourself to unnecessary liability, for example, by answering questions that you are not required to answer, or allowing them to search where they have no right. And he/she should point to a reputable bail agent, in the event of arrest.
You should want him or her to be a real trial lawyer, and not just a negotiator. Good trial lawyers are respected (and sometimes feared) by prosecutors, and get much better pre-trial negotiation results. If the prosecutor knows the defense lawyer is willing to fight a case until the end, you can expect offers to get better and better as the case goes on. Such is not the case for trial-newbies who convince their clients to accept deals prematurely. Of course, if the prosecutor will not take a reasonable counter-offer, or will not dismiss the case, then that prosecutor should know that he or she will be in for tough battle.
Many attorneys only practice law in one county, or in one city. Many very good attorneys practice in a club-like setting of lawyers, but it seems to breed the myth that "who you know matters more than what you know." Practical realities aside, this remains a county of laws and ideals. The best attorneys know how to travel to any city or court and win. Just because a lawyer is new to a particular court, does not mean he will be treated poorly. By acting professionally, and holding him or herself to the highest standards of professional conduct, foreign courts and lawyers tend be welcoming to the travelling attorney, especially if he or she is very knowledgeable of the local court customs.
A good attorney is educated in the scholarly points of law, and should have the skills to draft and orally argue appeals. Evidence and Constitutional Objections must be stated artfully to protect your appeal chances. Lawyers who take to the time to become skilled appellate advocates are better equipped to preserve your chances of having a bad ruling by a trial judge reversed down the road. Inexperienced judges are as common as inexperienced lawyers. You need criminal defense lawyer that can handle all criminal litigation circumstances.
If you are looking to hire an attorney, even if he or she comes on good recommendation, ask about the cases he or she has handled. Many attorneys boast about getting cases dismissed, or getting good deals for clients. You should look into those claims. How many were charged but never filed? Post-arrest discharges indicates the prosecutor's case was weak, and the defense lawyer didn't have to do much work. Does the attorney represent government informants (snitches)? No one trusts a snitch; so, don't trust the snitch's lawyer either; if a lawyer is willing to "roll" his client over to the feds, it shows lack of heart and character under difficult circumstances. How many cases were charged and then dismissed? This is an indicator that the attorney does his or her homework and is diligent in protecting you. How many jury trials did he or she handle? This indicates that the attorney does not deal cases when the going gets tough, and is a battle-tested court warrior. How many cases were dismissed on the day of trial? This would indicate that your attorney is able to scare the prosecutor into giving up, before the real fight begins, which shows your attorney is a feared court warrior.
The most important test of a good lawyer is whether he or she is personable and approachable. What goes for everyone goes for lawyers, too. Lawyers should be polite and courteous. I find that snobby, arrogant lawyers don't get better results than sharp but diplomatic attorneys. If you can't connect with your attorney, chances are your attorney can't connect with anyone.
Unless you are a seasoned criminal, you probably won't know how to go about finding a good criminal defense lawyer. Career criminals know the members of the defense bar on a first name basis. Independently wealthy people often find lawyers through their network of friends. Today, the middle to upper income members of society rely on telephone books and the internet to find lawyers in their area. This article should help those people research the right attorney for their case.