Selecting The Right Lawyer For Criminal Defense After An Arrest

By Author: Jane Cooper
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If you are in a situation whereby you have been charged with a crime, irrespective of whether it is a misdemeanor or felony, you are going to need a really good criminal defense and arrest attorney. This is your life and your future at stake here that we are talking about. Use the information in this article to select the right lawyer, making an informed decision and considering all the factors. Remember a really excellent lawyer can be the deciding factor as to whether you win or lose your case!

The first tip is not to be idle: you need to do the legwork and go out and find the criminal defense and arrest attorney who will win your case for you. Don’t just pick up the phone book, play tic tac toe and select someone; find a specialist, someone who specializes in your kind of case with a good record of wins. You may have to pay for a specialist, but then again, you need to consider whether you would rather go to prison or pay the specialist and stay out.

Pay your lawyer: you need to evaluate how much you can and will spend on lawyer costs. Start calling to find out what the lawyer’s ...
... hourly billing rates are and also how they can help you. Then budget billing rates and other fees so that you have a ballpark figure at least to start with. Double it and see how much you can fund from your own pocket, like savings or stocks and bonds that can be sold, and how much you may have to borrow. The reason for doubling the figure is because it is a given that lawyers fees always climb sky high and are never what you are told at the beginning of the trial.

You criminal defense and arrest lawyer: just because you are paying for a good lawyer does not mean you will not have to pay a fine or penalty to the court. You may or make restitution to the other party or even do some jail time. You have to be fully conversant with what your lawyer can and cannot do and more importantly will and will not do. You need to know the extent of your lawyer’s responsibilities and how far he is willing to go to the wall for you.

Understand the process: take the time to sit down with your lawyer and fully understand what is going to happen and how the system works. You need to understand how each aspect of the case will work for or against you and always be honest with your lawyer.

You need to have confidence in your lawyer and that can come only when you are totally honest with the lawyer, telling them every detail of the case in a truthful fashion, without embellishments. With the facts you give the lawyer, he should be able to build a case for your innocence or at least create reasonable doubt. The law stipulates that when there is reasonable doubt the person should be found ‘not guilty’ by a jury of their peers.
About Author:
Jane Cooper writes about Houston criminal defense attorney and DWI Houston.