Monday, July 9, 2012

10 Basic Qualities of a Criminal Defense Attorney

Factors to Consider before Hiring a Criminal Attorney

1. Confident, Honest And Caring:
Trust is probably the most important factor in the choice of a federal criminal defense attorney to represent you. Thus, it is important to hire an attorney who is honest, listens, cares about you and your case.

2. Comfortable:
Initial consultation with lawyer is important to know him/her. Talk to your lawyer before hiring and take your time to decide if he/she is the right person to solve your case or not. While talking to lawyer see if he/she looks into your eyes while speaking and makes you feel at ease. If you do not feel comfortable with that lawyer then look for another.

3. Prices:
Price is probably the worst criterion for choosing a criminal defense attorney. We get the attorney for whom we will pay. Only choose the best lawyer to represent for your case whether they are costly but do not prefer to hire one who is cheaper. Take you time while choosing attorney because sometimes an attorney with cheap rates can also save you from a case.

4. Experience:
Experience is a factor. An experienced attorney can solve your case with more ease then inexperienced one.

5. Communication:
A good criminal defense attorney listens and gives honest answers for your questions. Your attorney memorizes vast amounts of information, condense it and then communicate it effectively to the jury. The attorney must use plain and simple language to be an effective communicator. Many lawyers use big words that some people do not understand which is not a good way of communication and is considered as arrogant and ignorant behavior.

6. Guarantees:
Beware of a lawyer who guarantees you for a particular outcome. Although many people want a guarantee of winning the case but it is unethical for any lawyer to do so. The only thing they can guarantee is that they will do everything in their power which is legal and ethical to fight for the charges which are against you.

7. Low Volume Practice:
Look for the attorney who has time to devote to your case. If a lawyer has low-volume practices, then he/she can give customers the individual attention they deserve. It is difficult to work properly in cases having a high-volume practice because it is difficult to handle so many cases simultaneously. However, many lawyers have partners who do all the work on their cases. This allows them to handle many cases simultaneously and make more money. So, you should choose the one, who can handle your case with attention and take time to study your case.

8. Trial Lawyer:
You can also hire a lawyer who takes cases to trial and does not charge for it. Trial lawyers do not represent themselves in front of jury.

9. Passionate:
Hire a lawyer who is passionate in their work. For some lawyers, their career is just a job. So, beware from those lawyers who is fighting your case just for money.

10. Practice:
Choose a lawyer who practices exclusively in the area of criminal defense.

1 comment:

lylaburns123 said...

Thank you for this list. This will come in handy as I seek to hire a defence lawyer. I will definitely keep a look out for an attorney with these qualities. Thanks again.