What Qualities Should I look For When Hiring A Criminal Defense Attorney?

When looking to hire a criminal defense attorney, you need to look for one who is going to be open to you and willing to look at your case with fresh eyes. You need to have someone who is going to be willing and able to spend as much time as they need to on your case in order to get it right. People who just don’t have time to talk to you or just won’t make time to talk to you are red flags. I can’t tell you how many clients have said to me during an initial phone call, “You’ve already talked to me and spent more time with me than any other lawyer that I have reached out to.” I understand that we all have to charge for our work, but if you can’t take the time to get to know your client and their case, then you aren’t likely to get the best result for them.

Most charge flat fees, which means that you pay a specific amount of money for attorney’s fee and nothing additional (with the exception of expenses). A really low fee is a red flag, in a way, because every hour spent on your case dilutes the pro rata hourly fee. I enjoy spending time on my cases because I enjoy the cases and I enjoy talking to people and trying to find a way to help them get through the nightmare of criminal charges. In addition, there are some cases that just require a lot of time to be handled properly.

The most important thing is to find an attorney who is open to you and is not going to make assumptions about you. You want an attorney who will sift through the evidence, listen to your questions and fears and try to find ways to solve them. Obviously, you want an attorney who has experience, and there are many crimes that require specific types of experience. You need somebody who is in court all the time and is comfortable in court. You need somebody who is not going to just charge you rock-bottom prices and then not have the time or be willing to spend the time that it takes to really make sure that you get the best result.

Additional Information On Criminal Cases In Missouri

You should talk to your lawyer about whatever questions you may have. You should not talk to anybody else about the case until you’ve spoken to a lawyer. I think this would be hard advice for me to follow because it’s really scary to be charged with a crime. It can be devastating. Obviously you are going to turn to the people you love and the people who you are closest to because you are scared to death and your mind is racing. People often get on the internet and look things up, but I think it’s really important not to self-diagnose. It’s also really important not to talk to people because anything you say to another person can make that person a witness against you.

You should call an attorney as soon as you can. I always say to my clients, “Leave the worrying here with me in the office; I am a very good worrier. You need to be able to get on with your life and get back to work and back to your kids and move forward.”

For more information on Qualities Of A Criminal Defense Attorney, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling today.