What a Criminal Defense Lawyer Should Do For You

Since getting arrested and tried isn't an annual occurrence for most people, defendants often have little idea what to expect from their criminal defense lawyer. Unfortunately, this knowledge gap leaves a lot of room for incompetent lawyers to make a fine living failing their clients. Since it can be difficult to look up a lawyer's track record (and the results can be misleading in any case), any particular defendant may feel in the dark when it comes to evaluating their attorney's worth. If you are currently in the hunt for a lawyer or want to determine whether or not you are being represented well, here are some things you should expect.

An Ethical and Aggressive Criminal Defense

While you can find plenty of ethical public defenders, you may find it a bit harder to come across one who meets the "aggressive" standard. This is because most public defender offices are overtaxed, to put it mildly. When you have many, many clients heading to court in a single day, there is only so much personal attention you can give to each one. A private attorney doesn't have this excuse, but they can still let down their clients. It's all the more inexcusable, considering how much they are paid for their services. If you feel that your lawyer could be doing much more for you, don't hesitate to let him know.

Giving Options

You should never feel as though your criminal defense lawyer is keeping you in the dark. Different defendants will have different relationships with their representation. Some prefer to collaborate on every aspect of their strategy, while others throw up their hands and let their lawyers handle every detail of the case. No matter which side you lean to, however, you deserve to have the options. Make sure your lawyer is giving them to you, along with his recommendations. While his input is important, it should ultimately be up to you which strategy you choose to pursue.

Developing a Coherent Strategy

While collaboration isn't a bad thing, it is a criminal defense lawyer's job to take the sketch of a strategy and flesh it out into a full scale theme. This theme could include rights that have been trampled on, police incompetence, or fighting to prove that you had nothing to do with the crime in question. While it isn't always necessary to put on a formal defense in front of the jury, this strategy should still be clear simply through the cross examination of the state's witnesses.