When You Are Ready to Hire a Criminal Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime it is time to get a criminal lawyer to build your defense case. The constitution states that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty and the burden of guilt lies with the prosecution, not the defendant. In real life it doesn’t always feel like that though. Once you are arrested by law enforcement you are booked into jail, strip searched in, fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a holding cell. You can be bonded out on some offenses with a set bail amount but if you are not eligible for bail you won’t be allowed to post out and will have to sit in jail while you await your trial.

Most defendants plead out to charges instead of going to trial and the time spent in jail generally comes off the sentencing time that the prosecution and your criminal lawyer agree to in the plea agreement so at least you will know that your time served will not be time lost.

When you begin your search for an attorney you want to make sure you hire an attorney that specializes in criminal law. There are as many areas of specialty in law as there are lawyers to fill them but not every lawyer is prepared and experienced specifically in criminal law cases. Once you find a lawyer who is a criminal lawyer your next step should be to interview them and see if they are a good match for your case and your particular needs.

Ideally you want an attorney who has experience in the type of crime you are being accused of committing. If you anticipate going to trial you will want to make sure the lawyer you hire has court room experience. When you watch television shows about court room drama, they depict seasoned court attorneys who are smooth, practiced and know what they are doing; in reality though these lawyers don’t exist. Most attorneys settle their cases out of court and while they may have court room experience, it is unrealistic to expect a lawyer to be like the fictional Perry Mason who always won his case no matter what the odds were against his client. In reality, if your attorney feels you are likely to be convicted on the evidence against you they will urge you to accept a plea deal to save yourself money and time in a court trial. Going to court is expensive since you will be paying for your criminal lawyer’s time in court and out of court to research and prepare your case. Depending on how extensive your case is that can mean interviewing witnesses and hiring experts to testify on your behalf.

Which brings you to the next point of your attorney interview- what will it cost? Your attorney will likely require a retainer down to start your case and will be able to give you an idea on what they feel your defense will ultimately cost depending on your defense options.