What You Need to Know Before Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney



Defendants billed by the hour pay for the actual time their lawyers devote to their cases—for example, $300 per hour. They may also pay for expenses a lawyer incurs in the middle of the case (e.g., copying fees, deposition fees, and so forth). From the client’s standpoint, hourly billing has advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that they do not have to pay a larger sum up front, and one disadvantage is that they may pay more the longer the case takes. 

Before a prosecutor can land a conviction, they have to prove that the defendant is responsible for the crime that they've been charged with. Our attorneys frequently argue that the prosecution does not have sufficient evidence to prove their case.

Warnings

• Be suspicious of any lawyer who ensures you a particular result to a legal case earlier than making a court appearance and before reviewing all the paperwork and evidence.
• Your attorney should have a co-counsel (2nd attorney) or legal assistant that knows what is going on with your case.  They will help the outcome of your case.
• You can review the Indiana Roll of Attorneys to see if a lawyer has any formal discipline on their record.

Know the Law

You need a good defense. An attorney doesn’t know every little aspect of the law without looking issues up, but they should know the fundamentals of the most common crimes. A criminal lawyer should be capable of clarifying the possible penalties for the offenses charged. One of the best ways to search out the proper lawyer for you is asking your family and friends if they know any good lawyers. Those with first-hand knowledge of how a lawyer operates may help give you a perception of how they'll deal with your case. Some websites like Lawyers.com and Avvo.com have a list of attorneys.  Google and Facebook are other excellent places to look for attorneys and see what their client reviews have to say.

           Effective Legal Representation

Suppose you already understand the importance of getting a superb legal professional when you’re facing a felony charge. In that case, the next step is discovering one of the best lawyers to represent you. Not all attorneys are created identical, and finding the best lawyer for you and your case could make all the difference in getting a case dismissed, pleading to a lower charge, or being found not guilty.  Regardless of how minor, you want to search for sound legal advice if you face a criminal case. Even if you resolve not to hire an attorney to represent you in court, a consultation or strategy session might help you grasp the severity of the charges. Your lawyer should clarify the potential defenses, any potentialities for a plea, and what your subsequent steps would be if you were convicted. A good lawyer will know what you face when looking at the charges. 

Just as you'd do when hiring anybody else to do a job, you should ensure your attorney has the correct professional credentials and experience. Ask, “Which bar associations or professional organizations do you belong to?”  This might help provide you with a better opinion of the legitimacy of your legal counsel. Also, ask about fees.  You will need your lawyer to be responsive and respectful to your needs. 

Knowing the Court Procedures

Each local court has unique procedures and staff, so your lawyer must know the native court docket and their local procedure.  It can be wise to hire a more skilled and higher-priced lawyer than an inexperienced low-cost one. That couple thousand dollars could be the difference between your freedom and you sitting behind bars. Even if you can not afford to pay upfront, many attorneys offer payment plans. 

         Hire Our Team

We are known for helping people that are victims of the police, and we have years of experience practicing criminal law.  If you are aware that you are being investigated or are awaiting arrest, you should hire an attorney as quickly as possible. A criminal defense attorney will inform you about the criminal process, work to ensure that you get the best possible outcome. Hiring a lawyer will benefit you in the long run by making sure that you simply don’t say or do anything self-incriminating.

We will fight for you when you hire our team as your legal counsel. Being arrested by law enforcement and facing criminal charges can be an extremely frightening experience. If you ever discover yourself in this unfortunate scenario, please contact us at the Law Office of Mark Nicholson so we can be there whenever you need help.