Criminal Defense Attorney -- What's Important When Hiring One?

There's nothing funny about being charged with a crime. It is a serious and potentially life threatening situation. While your actual life might not be at stake, your freedom certainly may be. This is the worst possible circumstance for you to try and prove yourself innocent. You need the help of a competent criminal defense attorney who can look at your case and help you formulate an answer to the charges. Conviction rates for most prosecutors are immense under the best of circumstances. If you try to defend yourself or hire a lawyer who isn't right for the job, you'll make his job that much easier.

Price

If you had unlimited funds, you would undoubtedly surround yourself with an O.J.-esque dream team of the best legal minds in the country. Obviously, for most people this is an impossibility. You will have to take price into consideration when looking for a criminal defense attorney. Unfortunately, hiring a lawyer is expensive. If you don't have a lot of money, you may need to look for those that offer a flexible plan when it comes to getting your bill paid. It is a shame to have your freedom somewhat determined by how much you can afford to spend, but it is an inextricable part of our current legal system.

Experience

Even the top graduate from Harvard Law can't compete with a criminal defense attorney who has been perfecting his craft in the real world for any length of time. That is why experience is so important when choosing someone to represent you. You might look for lawyers who have spent some time in the prosecutor's office. They will know the tricks the State uses to put defendants away. You needn't be swayed by lawyers who say, as a source of pride, that they never worked for the "other side".

Attitude

The best criminal defense attorney in the state may not be the right fit for you. If you ever get the impression that a lawyer is looking down on you, judging you, or doesn't seem to have the time of day for your questions, you are going to want to look elsewhere. You need a lawyer who is going to get down in the trenches with you. You may not need a friend, per se, but you should be able to find a lawyer who will at least act like he cares about the outcome of your case. A lot of this can be determined during your initial consultation.