Factors to Consider When Hiring a Criminal Attorney

If you are facing criminal proceedings, you must be experiencing the most stressful days of your life. Criminal charges can taint your social image and may have severe life-altering consequences. You may lose your job, as well as go to jail or pay huge penalties if found guilty in the case. Often criminal accusation is enough to create trouble in securing a job and prejudice in society. To avoid these traumatic outcomes of criminal accusations, it’s imperative to hire a lawyer for proper legal representation. However, not all lawyers have the required skills to represent you in the courtroom.

As with any profession, not all lawyers have the same level of proficiency. There are some excellent lawyers, some average professionals, as well as some bad ones. Now you may ask how you do distinguish the good from the bad. If you want to make sure that your case ends in a dismissal, favorable plea deal, or “not guilty” verdict, you need to hire the best lawyer. When it comes to hiring a lawyer, you need to find someone who is qualified and licensed to practice in your state. But checking the law degree and license is not enough to ensure the efficiency of the lawyer. You need to find a specialist in criminal law to defend against the accusation. You should never hire a lawyer randomly without researching around. When retaining a criminal defense lawyer, it’s best to consider some important factors. Here are the key factors to consider when choosing a criminal defense lawyer.

Courtroom Experience

Always look for a lawyer who has years of experience in defending criminal cases. Experience is important because it gives the confidence to deal with complex courtroom situations. If an attorney has spent several years in the legal industry it means that he/she is familiar with the local rules and could frame the most effective defense strategies. A criminal defense lawyer with trial experience will be confident to go to trial and win, when necessary. To make sure that you’re hiring an experienced lawyer, take a look at the number of cases the attorney has defended and won.

Area of Law

Not all lawyers specialize in handling criminal cases. When looking for a lawyer, you need to find a specialist in the type of criminal charges you’re facing. Whether you’re charged for domestic violence or driving offense, the attorney you hire should have experience in handling that particular type of criminal case. Finding a specialist is important because a lawyer cannot know everything about every crime. Law is a diverse and complicated subject that needs specialization to have complete knowledge of a specific type of criminal case. Before you hire an attorney, check what type of cases he/she has taken on in the past. Inquiring about the types of law that the attorney practices is crucial to get the best legal representation. A criminal defense lawyer specializing in your type of case should also be up-to-date with all legal developments in the criminal defense field.

Reputation

The attorney you choose should be comfortable in talking about their wins and losses. It is not possible to find an attorney with a perfect record of winning cases. You should look at the number of their winning cases because more losing cases could be a sign of inexperience. Besides their track record, checks if other people are recommending the lawyer you’re considering. Checking the reputation of attorneys in the community is important. So do your homework and read out as many online reviews as you can. It is easier to work with a reputed criminal defense law firm because they have lawyers specializing in different types of criminal cases.