Tips on Hiring a Good Criminal Lawyer

lilycarter01
August 24, 2012

Hiring a good criminal lawyer is not easy. This is because although there are many talented and gifted criminal lawyers out there practicing, not all of them would suit you or your case. Hiring a well suited criminal lawyer is a problem, especially if you are a law abiding citizen who has had hardly any unpleasant brushes with the law, and hence doesn’t know or realise how the criminal justice system works.

For such people, or first time offenders, it is very crucial to get the right kind of criminal lawyer who not only believes in you, but is also reputed and smart. While most reputed criminal lawyers charge exorbitant rates by the hour, there are some smart and upcoming criminal lawyers who would gladly take on your case and ensure you get as close to justice as possible. Since looking and finding such criminal lawyers is taxing, here are some tips on how to do exactly that.

Ask around

A good way to find a criminal lawyer is to have him come to you. This is because there are many criminal lawyers from upcoming, small and medium sized legal firms looking for interesting cases and small wins. Thus, it helps if you spread the word around among friends, family and neighbours. This exercise shall help because many of your near and dear ones will get back to you with refereed names of criminal lawyers that they have either employed or heard of. You can then get leads on good criminal lawyers looking for work and you can contact them directly, in person, and explain your side of the story.

Draw up a contract

Since criminal cases tend to drag and often go on for months altogether, it is in your best interests that when you do find a suitable criminal lawyer, you nail him down with a contract that stipulates everything such as his charges and other miscellaneous issues that are bound to arise once your case goes to court or trail. While not all criminal lawyers are crooks, few most certainly are. To ensure that your lawyer is not one of those rotten apples, you need to bulletproof yourself by making him sign a contract with you, which clearly spells and stipulates his responsibilities and his charges, so that he cannot then back out or charge more.

Hire someone you trust

Lastly, never hire the first criminal lawyer you see or meet. Always keep your options open and meet as many criminal lawyers as you can, and run your case by them. Depending on how much they believe in you and how they react to your case, you should hire them. However, this does not mean you should hire any lawyer who is sympathetic to you or compassionate. This is because law is not based on emotions, but on logic, and to survive the legal hardships coming your way, you need a guide who is tough, knowledgeable and honest.

Lily is an expert associated with 4LawSchool.com, an all-inclusive resource for law students. Covering all basics from overviews, case briefs and outlines, the website is a treasure trove for students and practicing lawyers.