Are you looking for a criminal defense attorney? If you have been accused of a criminal charge or facing a serious charge, you need to have a criminal attorney.
It is crucial to have an experienced and qualified attorney to help your case. Since they have the knowledge and deal with such cases on daily basis, they know what is best for you. They are capable of defending your case in the best possible way.
If you don’t hire an attorney, you might be damaging your case and might make it worse. This is because you don’t have extensive knowledge about the laws and regulations.
There are many criminal defense attorneys; however, not all the attorneys are qualified and experienced. This makes it challenging to choose the best one. Don’t worry, we are here to help. In this post, we have mentioned how to select a defense attorney.
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Referrals
When you are hiring a private attorney, you must ask your friends or family members if they know any lawyer, if not a criminal defense attorney. In this way, they might be able to help you by referring you to someone knowledgeable.
Search on the Internet
You can always find a good attorney on the internet. Unfortunately, not the first name that popups on the result is the best. They are, most probably, someone who has invested a lot time and money in search optimization or Google ads.
A good attorney will have a decent website with client reviews, accomplishments, and important cases. They even have an easy to access contact information.
Moreover, the factors you need to focus on include how long they have been practicing law. Check whether they have handled any high-profile case or not. Look at the numbers of trials they have handled.
Be Careful
When hiring a criminal defense attorney, you have to be extremely cautious. You should get caught up in the blanket statements of the attorney assuring you success before going to the court or viewing all the evidence. No good attorney will make any kind of promises before the start of the case.
When you select an attorney, make sure you examine the contract before signing it. You should stay away from the attorneys who ask for a lot of money upfront for initial proceedings. A great attorney will never make promises about guaranteed outcomes. Instead, they will always be honest about your case.
Consultations
Many good attorneys offer a free consultation. This is a great way to meet your attorney and an excellent opportunity to get to know them. It is advised that you should prepare some questions to ask them. This will provide a clear idea whether you can work with them or not. It will be better to come prepared with all the paperwork related to your case.
During the consultation, you can determine if you are comfortable with them or not. It will help you decide if you have confidence in their skills or not. A crucial thing to keep in mind is that consultation doesn’t obligate you to hire the attorney.
You should not schedule a meeting with just one criminal defense attorney. In order to choose the best one, have consultation with several attorneys.
Questions to Ask During Consultation
During the consultation, you need to get all the information from the attorney you can. When you are meeting an attorney, it can prove to be an intimidating and overwhelming process. So, it is advised to prepare the questions you will be asking them. This will ensure you don’t forget to ask important questions. Here are some questions you must ask them.
- Ask about the trial strategy they recommend for your case.
- Talk about negotiations and plea bargains.
- Ask about the fees and payment schedule.
- Ask them to provide a list of similar cases they have previously worked on.
- Make sure the attorney explains all alternatives to you. you need to know about all the options available to you.
- There is nothing wrong in asking them why they are the right attorney to handle this case. With their answer, you can assess how experienced they are and how they plan to handle your case.
- Ask how quickly they will start working on your case.
- What information or evidence they need?
Determine the Cost of Hiring an Attorney
An imperative thing that you should not ignore is the cost of hiring a criminal defense attorney. Normally, the cost of an attorney is dependent on the case; how complex it is. The attorneys will ask for payment when they are required to bring an expert witness. They have a number of ways for charging you for their work. Their fees can have hourly rates or flat fees.
- Flat fees- the flat fees are the most predictable; nonetheless, it can harm the client in case it is a complex one. There are some attorneys who will offer fee agreement, which offers a refundable retainer. However, it will go up as the case gets past the specific amount.
- Hourly rates- these can be the most affordable yet least predictable. It becomes difficult to determine how much time your case will take.
As far as misdemeanor cases are concerned, it can cost thousands of dollars. Felony cases mostly start at $5,000. It can go much higher if the case is extremely serious like involves homicide or sexual assault.
When you are looking for the best criminal defense attorney, New Haven Criminal Defense Attorney is an ideal choice. He has been dealing with criminal cases for many years. Having extensive knowledge and years of experience, there is no case that he cannot handle. He is qualified enough to present winning arguments in both, federal and state court. He has handled several types of criminal cases including theft, rape, juvenile law, homicide, robbery, assault, domestic violence, drug distribution, DUI, DWI, and many others. If you want to schedule a free consultation or need information, feel free to contact us.