Hiring a Criminal Attorney: Increase Your Chances In Court

Jun 8
08:54

2012

Abraham Avotina

Abraham Avotina

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If you're in a spot of trouble with the authorities, you may want to consider hiring a criminal attorney. You have an uphill battle. Here's how to find someone who can help you make the climb.

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If you're in a spot of trouble with the authorities,Hiring a Criminal Attorney: Increase Your Chances In Court Articles you may want to consider hiring a criminal attorney. Going into battle without legal representation against a zealous prosecutor is rarely a good idea. You might liken it to going to war without a gun. Your chances are severely limited as it is. Prosecutors tend to pursue only those cases they think they can win. Conviction rates usually reflect this confidence. Even with juries repeatedly instructed that you are to be considered innocent until proven guilty, it's very difficult for a human being to regard someone sitting at the defendant's table as anything but guilty as charged. You have an uphill battle. Here's how to find someone who can help you make the climb.

Relevant Experience

Don't hire a lawyer versed in traffic law to represent you in a murder case. A criminal attorney can have years of practice, but if all that experience and knowledge is in a field only tangentially related, it isn't going to do you much good. You need someone who knows the lay of the land. Having said that, even a breadth of experience in the law is better than someone fresh out of school. Prefer years of experience over someone who graduated from the top law school in the country every day of the week. It is their knowledge of the ropes that really matters.

Communication Skills

Whether you plan to take your case to trial or pursue a plea bargain, you need a criminal attorney who is an excellent communicator. Stutterers, mumblers, and hesitant speakers may make fine tax lawyers, but they won't be able to make a good impression in front of a jury. You need someone who is as much of an expert in public speaking as they are in the law. Even for plea bargains, you need someone who can stand up and be clear about what you want. Negotiating with a prosecutor requires nearly as much oratory skill as does arguing in front of a jury. This is why that initial consultation is so important. You can find out then and there if this guy has what it takes.

Costs

Make sure your criminal attorney is up front and clear about what this is going to cost you. If billing you a flat rate (which is rare in this type of law), make sure there aren't going to be any further charges down the road. If billing you by the hour (much more likely), make sure you know when and how you'll be billed. Some lawyers will allow you to defer payment until after the process, while most others will want to be paid throughout the proceedings. If you can't afford the services, you should know up front so that you can pursue alternative choices.

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