Criminal Defense Attorney vs. Public Defenders

If you have watched even one police drama, you know the Miranda rights. They are the rights that are red to you when you are arrested for any crime. Part of your rights under Miranda is the right to have a lawyer present and if you can't afford one you can be appointed one by the courts. Sounds pretty good doesn't it, having the court appoint you someone to handle your case. It's a two edged sword actually because with a public defender you don't know what kind of lawyer you're going to get. By hiring your own criminal defense attorney you can control at least that part of your case.

When you hire a criminal defense attorney you will know that you are getting someone that knows that area of law. You know that because you spent the time to do your homework and find out what type law they specialize in. You can also rest assured that the lawyer you have hired is well versed in your specific allegation so that he can represent your case the best way possible. You will need to do your homework and make sure that you are getting adequate representation but it is something that you can control.

When you rely on a public defender to handle your proceedings then you are running the risk of getting someone who has no idea what they are doing. Some of these lawyers are fresh from law school and have never even tried a real case before. If you are up on charges that can send you to jail for a long time you don't want to be the first person that they get job experience on. You want someone who has been in the court room a few times before and knows how to handle your case.

There is an old adage that you get what you pay for. There is some truth to this, with a criminal defense attorney you will pay a lot of money, some require thousands of dollars just to take the case, but you can decide who takes you case. With a public defender you might not pay anything or not much if you do, but you can't control who represents you. You will have to take what the court offers and that person might not know what he's doing which could cost you more time in jail.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need a criminal defense attorney take the time to hire one for yourself. Don't rely on the court to do it for you; you never know what you'll get. You are supposed to participate in defending yourself during trial and what better way to do that than hiring the right person for the job.