If you or someone you love is facing criminal charges, obtaining top-notch legal representation should be your topmost priority.
Doing so may seem daunting, especially when you are probably going through a highly stressful time.
To help make this task more straightforward for you, here are five things you need to know about hiring a criminal defense attorney.
1) How to choose an experienced criminal defense attorney.
The relationship between a client and their attorney is, by necessity, a close one.
To be able to advocate for you, your lawyer needs to know many details of your professional and personal life. In all probability, you’ll have to discuss things that you may not have discussed with anyone else.
So, it would be best if you chose an attorney with sufficient experience and skills in criminal law, especially in the particular area of criminal law that is relevant to your case.
Suppose you are in the South Carolina area and looking for legal assistance with respect to federal crimes. In that case, you should select federal defense lawyers who have experience handling such legal matters.
2) Get recommendations from your attorney’s clients, or even your friends and family
Before hiring a criminal defense attorney, you need to get recommendations about his services.
Ask the attorney for details about his past clients and get in touch with them to find out their experience with him.
If you have any friends or family who’ve used his services, you should contact them for their unbiased feedback.
Before hiring him, you should know whether the lawyer is good or not.
3) Ensure that the attorney has experience in fighting cases in your geographical location
Before hiring an attorney, you should find out whether he is familiar with your area’s local court system.
The attorney should be familiar with the clerks, judges, and prosecutors in courts in your local area in an ideal situation.
This will show you that the attorney is well-established and most probably would have worked closely with court prosecutors earlier.
As a result, any discussions about reduced sentences or lessening charges will go smoothly.
4) Get information about how your lawyer will be billing your case
Hiring a competent criminal defense attorney might be expensive, but it will be worth it in the long term.
If you are strapped for funds, you can consider asking the court to appoint a public defender to defend your case.
However, usually, public defenders may be too busy with multiple cases to give you exclusive attention.
You must speak to the attorney beforehand to ensure that you fully understand how they’ll charge for their work. If you have any doubts, you must get all the answers before you make a decision.
Be sure not to sign an agreement with the attorney until you have total clarity about their terms and are satisfied with them.
5) Your attorney should be an effective communicator
Effective communication between a client and his attorney is a game-changer.
The smoother the lawyer-client relationship, the greater likelihood that you’ll be comfortable working as a team to achieve the desired outcome.
A crucial part of this relationship is effective communication.
The criminal defense attorney needs to return your calls promptly and not keep you hanging.
He must be transparent, candid, and honest while discussing your case with you. Whether the attorney is effective at communicating with you can be assessed during the initial consultation itself.
If you foresee any potential communication problems with the attorney down the line, you must continue with your hunt for the right criminal defense attorney for you.
In summary
Facing criminal charges can be difficult.
The results of a criminal case against you may have a lasting effect on your life.
In such a scenario, knowing how to hire an excellent criminal defense attorney to act on your behalf can make the difference between freedom and facing prison time.