How to Find a Good Criminal Defense Attorney

No one can ever understand the importance of a good criminal defense attorney more than a person who has been charged with a criminal offense and is on the verge of getting punished for the crime he had never committed. Finding a good criminal defense lawyer can seem more challenging than the court trial itself. But it isn't, for this article tells you about some of the best ways to find a competent and experienced criminal defense attorney who has a record of winning almost every case he takes.

There are many ways by which you can find some of the best defense lawyers in your city. Given below are some of the promising ways that can help you get one for yourself.

Many lawyers publish an advertisement in the newspaper which is generally in the classified section, from where you can get the contact details of the lawyers. But make sure that they specialize in criminal defense.

There are directories that can provide you with the list of lawyers or attorneys and with the list of legal firms as well. But the problem in this case, is that the list would be generic and shortlisting the best ones would be tough for you.

If you already have a legal advisor then taking his help in finding a good criminal defense attorney is one of the best options you can try. If not legal advisor, you can ask any lawyer you know about the hiring an experienced defense attorney for your case.

If you know any of your friends and relatives who were charged with criminal offenses in the past, then contacting them regarding your problem could be beneficial. Apart from this, if you have any journalist friends then they too can help you.

Apart from this, there are many websites that can help you search for a good defense lawyer or attorney in your city. You can also contact the public lawyers and get some references from them. You can also contact the bar association of your state and request them to suggest a good criminal defense lawyer to you.

Once you get the names and contact details of the few attorneys, it is advisable to get more information about them and then shortlist the attorneys that suit your case and your budget well. It may happen that they all seem good and successful and hence, it can add to your chaos. But there are certain parameters and criteria you can judge them against and choose the one that passes most of your parameters.

• First of all, you have to look for the biographical information about the lawyers, such as, where he or she is from, what is his or her educational qualification, etc.

• Check if they are well experienced in the criminal defense area that matches with your case. For example, there are many types of criminal cases, such as, rape, murder, molestation, etc. So go for an attorney who has handled more cases in the past that are similar to your case.

• Check their track records, such as, how many cases they have won and what kind of cases they have dealt with. To do this, you can go through newspaper archives or ask the lawyer himself.

• Also make sure that the attorney has all the qualities that are required for your case. For example, there are certain cases where you need a lawyer who can present an argument with conviction and needs good command over the language and words, so you need to choose the lawyer with good communication skills and good personality.

• Lastly, you also have to consider the amount of fees a lawyer would charge you. A professional criminal defense lawyer charges around $5,000 to $10,000 in the starting, but the fees largely depends on the defense charges and the overall case.

The primary job of a criminal defense attorney is to help his or her clients be free of criminal accusations. But just merely consulting a criminal lawyer when charged with minor or major criminal offenses can benefit the person even if the lawyer is not retained to provide representation in the court.