Spend the same amount of time finding a criminal defense lawyer as you did find a hair stylist.
So often I hear that people hire lawyers their friends hire or lawyers they find through advertisements, which draw attention to low prices. There are big problems with this approach in hiring a criminal defense lawyer. First, while friends are often our sources for information regarding a lot of things they may not have the best understanding of whether their criminal defense attorney is practicing at the highest level. Second, as with most things, you get what you pay for. When attorneys are offering extremely low prices, they simply cannot afford to spend time preparing your defense. They need to end the case and get a new case. I practice law as a St. Louis criminal defense lawyer, and I also practice as a St. Charles, criminal defense lawyer, so this article is will reference St. Louis, Missouri and St. Charles, Missouri, but these tips will apply to nearly every area of the country. I am very disappointed to hear people talk about having spent their money on the first lawyer they found who refused to work hard for them. Read here.
Experience in criminal defense is central in fostering positive outcomes.
No one wants to have heart surgery done by a doctor doing it for the first time. Everyone knows that we learn with experience. If you are facing the prospect of being branded a criminal, you should have an attorney that has stood in front a jury, argued for innocence, and won. Ask the lawyer you plan on hiring for your criminal case if they have won not guilty verdicts. Ask the St. Louis or St. Charles criminal defense lawyer you plan on hiring if they have had cases dismissed before trial. If the attorney that you plan on hiring has had cases dismissed before trial, then he or she is likely experienced in defending cases vigorously from arrest to trial; this is the kind of criminal defense lawyer that will best protect your rights and reputation. Learn more.
Retain an attorney that has advanced training in criminal defense, a general practice lawyer does not have the required training. Click here.
Where the State is accusing its citizens of criminal conduct, many times the State will introduce DNA evidence, toxicological evidence, and evidence relating to police training. Hire a lawyer that has had education and advanced training in subjects regularly used in guarding people facing criminal allegations. Request the St. Louis criminal defense lawyer you are considering to defend your case or the St. Charles criminal defense lawyer that you may hire, what continuing legal training seminars they have completed in the last three years. Do they have continuing legal education seminars they wish to attend? If they are unable to tell you what they aspire to, then hire a different lawyer. Visit site.