Few things in life are as stressful as being charged with a criminal offense. When you are charged with a crime, you're presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. However, with the entire criminal justice system working against you, it is not enough to know you are innocent - if you want to retain your freedom and protect your reputation, you need to prove your innocence in a court of law.
The need to prove your innocence to a jury of your peers and take back control of your life makes choosing the right criminal defense lawyer one of the most consequential decisions you will ever make. Whether the crime in question is a relatively minor one or one that could put you behind bars for decades, you need a criminal defense lawyer with these qualities.
Case-Specific Expertise
No two criminal cases are the same, and the most important case to you is the one you are involved in. Before you hire a criminal defense attorney to represent your interests, you need to know that individual has the specific expertise needed to do a great job.
Hiring a generalist may be fine if you need a simple will or a straightforward contract drawn up; however, when your freedom is on the line, you need an attorney who specializes in your area of the law. Whether it is mounting a strong DUI defense or finding hidden clues in a murder case, this specific expertise could prove essential in the courtroom.
Courtroom Experience
Speaking of courtrooms, you need a criminal defense attorney who knows their way around one. Many attorneys go their whole careers without ever seeing the inside of a courtroom. That does not make them bad lawyers, but it does make them unsuited to your ongoing criminal defense.
Even if you plan to enter a plea or expect to have the charges reduced, you need a criminal defense attorney who understands how courtrooms work and how judges and juries operate. This courtroom experience could prove pivotal in your case, and it is one of the most important things to look for when hiring a criminal defense attorney.
A Strong Legal Team
Even the best criminal defense attorneys do not do it alone. When you hire a criminal defense attorney, you are hiring an entire legal team, and it is important to choose that legal team with care.
The strength of the legal team does not end with the education and experience of the attorneys in the practice. Plenty of people work behind the scenes as well, researching and verifying the facts of your case, seeking out new evidence and making sure that all the paperwork is filed on time. Without this strong legal team, even the best criminal defense attorney may have a hard time bringing your case to a successful resolution.
Simply being charged with a crime is a devastating experience. From the moment you are arrested and read your rights, your reputation will be under attack. Without the right legal defense, your very freedom could be in jeopardy. That is why it is so essential for every criminal defendant, no matter how innocent, to seek the very best criminal defense attorney, and that starts with seeking out the qualities listed above.