Choosing a criminal attorney can be very difficult, especially when there are so many veteran professionals in the commercial market, sitting with a diverse portfolio. A criminal attorney is a lawyer who fights for people who have been convicted in a criminal offense. As the days pass by, criminal activities continue to rise, putting the entire state through a tough test of time. People who get convicted in a criminal offence start looking for a criminal lawyer as soon as they get in trouble. The market is flooded with countless lawyers, each of which has hands-on experience of fighting several cases. In a situation like this, it becomes imperative to select the right person for the job. In this article we take a tour through 10 things any convicted person should put into perspective when choosing a criminal attorney:
1. Experience speaks volumes
This is the first quality of a lawyer which one must put into perspective. A lawyer should have hands-on experience in his/her work. Choosing a lawyer who is a newbie with no experience, isn’t going to be a mindful decision. Experience is the first thing which should be the concrete basis of the selection criteria of a criminal attorney. People who have diverse experience are ones who can handle chaotic cases very easily. Criminal cases are not a cakewalk. Therefore a tough attorney is a must in such a situation. For example, if you type long beach criminal lawyer on Google, you will be taken to the attorney’s personal website from where you can check experience.
2. Strong academic background in law is a must
When choosing a suitable criminal attorney, it is important to choose one who has a good academic background with majors in law. One must remain mindful about the fact there are many fake criminal attorneys sitting in the market looking for a fresh piece of meat. If somebody is hiring a criminal attorney from a private firm, there’s no issue with that. However, if an attorney is being hired after a one to one conversation, it is crucial to confirm that the person has genuine degrees with majors in law at least.
3. Choosing a passionate lawyer is a good idea
The success rate of any criminal attorney isn’t related to the work which he has done but rather with his/her passion for law. To be successful, it is important for a prospective attorney to be passionate about the work. Therefore it is better for the convicted and the attorney to have a one to one meeting, to know about each other’s dedication to getting the work done. If the lawyer gives a sense of treating the convicted as just another piece of money, it is better to cut down him/her from the list of prospective attorneys.
4. Confidence is important
To handle criminal cases in court, it is important for an attorney to be extremely confident, very staunch in his/her stance and should have the audacity to make bold conflicting statements. Lawyers who are naïve to the job and have less confidence to fight are less likely to win cases. Apart from that, it is also crucial to make sure the other person isn’t arrogant about his/her work. There is a difference between being arrogant and in being confident about the work which one has done. A criminal attorney should be confident in his talks and about the portfolio he/she has to project.
5. Word of mouth is crucial
This is a very strong marketing tool in this century. Nothing is better than a good word of mouth. When looking for a suitable criminal attorney it is always worthwhile to check references and consult people who have received services from that person. With social media being a rage in this day and age; it is easy to read customer reviews and feedback. However, even top-notch attorneys will have negative reviews, but it is important to read and weigh positive reviews equally to know about the person.
6. Social media profile is a strong indicator
Veteran professionals have strong profiles on social media In this day and age. Sadly we have to admit there are still many people who have no online presence. Earlier people had to sit in offices, rent out flats and erect official setup. Some attorneys have their personalized websites from where they interact with their clients direct. When looking for a criminal attorney it is crucial to read customer reviews written on his/her social media profiles. If a prospective attorney has no presence on social media, it is the right of the convicted to be skeptical about the person. People who have poor customer reviews and negative feedbacks tend to refrain from showcasing themselves on social media.
7. The budget should be manageable
Hiring a criminal attorney can be very difficult, especially when his/her fee is very high. It is better to set a budget and then start looking for a suitable attorney. Furthermore, if the entire payment cannot be made in one ago, it is better to ask the attorney for payment in installments. If you’re hiring a criminal attorney through a private company, there are many payment options available. However, if you decide to hire a person after a one to one conversation, it is better to jot down every detail in an agreement and adhere to it. It is always better to stay within budget and look for a criminal attorney. Top-notch people in the market charge a lot of fees which means many people won’t be able to afford them.
8. A lawyer should be flexible
Working with a tough cookie can be very troublesome. Criminal cases are very archaic and chaotic. Therefore it is imperative to hire someone who navigates great communication and is easily accessible. Hiring a person from far-flung areas will not be a healthy practice for both the parties, for sometimes it is important to position meetings every day to solve a case. Secondly, the lawyer should be very flexible in terms of communication. If he/she is not, there will always be a chance of a heated conversation or a verbal spat.
9. An attorney should be presentable
Choosing an attorney with a terrible physical appearance and a horrific persona won’t be a healthy practice. The courts of law have a lot of cases languishing in them already. Your lawyer has to be presentable and perfect in everything when he/she enters the court to fight for your case. A professional will know how to walk his talk and carve his/her edges. Therefore it is crucial to identify the persona of an attorney in retrospect. Sometimes the physical appearance and the persona do the talking.
10. Consider a background check
There’s no harm in considering a background check on the prospective criminal lawyer. Choosing one out of so many can be very difficult. Now if you have decided to move on with one person, it is imperative to consider a background check on the person. Hiring a person based on an online profile or a single phone call is not the right thing to do. A background check is inclusive of identifying the academic degrees, confirming the veracity of one’s services and checking whether a person is registered or not.
What to do next?
Lastly, it is crucial to be confident about the choice which has been made. One must trust his/her instincts and give it a shot. Criminal attorneys with a high success rate are difficult to find in this day and age when social media is full of such people, with every one of them offering top-notch services. The right criminal lawyer will surely lead the case successfully. However, if a naïve, unprofessional and money seeker is hired, the case will never get resolved but rather would continue to languish in the courts just like many other cases do.
Is there confirmation of success with the best attorney in hand?
No! There is no such thing as a guaranteed success, even if the top-notch attorney has been hired. Criminal cases are not solved and most of the convicts have to serve punishment in jail and pay fines. Interestingly more than 705 of trials result in the convicted losing the case and the rest of them sneaking out of courts with a clean chit in their hands. Therefore there is no confirmation of the success of a case. The lawyer might fight hard but at the end of the day, evidence and the moments decide the fate. Though there are many firms which claim 99% success, the truth in such statements is that they’re merely marketing tools which attract the audience in the first instance.
The last thing to do is to trust your instinct, articulate yourself and put faith in the other person. Opening up about yourself in front of an outsider is a tough job. Therefore the person should be trustworthy and very discreet in terms of his/her services.
