Finding A Criminal Defense Attorney In Virginia

By Author: Jennifer Daisey
Total Articles: 4
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Criminal law is a vast and complex area and you need an expert attorney to defend yourself. Whereas an attorney who practices general law is not always familiar with criminal law, a specialized criminal defense lawyer knows all the ropes in his area of expertise.

If you are charged with a criminal offense and you are placed under arrest, hiring a good criminal defense lawyer is essential to your defense in courtroom. A highly qualified criminal attorney covers a wide variety of criminal defense practice areas, including driving while intoxicated, drug possession, manufacturing and distribution, federal, internet and juvenile crimes, theft, robbery, prostitution and weapons charges. When seeking a good criminal lawyer Virginia defendants should look for the following professional qualities and skills.

First of all, a good criminal defense attorney must be licensed to practice criminal law. In order to be an authorized criminal attorney, he needs to have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and to have passed a bar examination. Also, a fully competent and highly qualified attorney is also a member of an integrated bar association. ...
... If he is not a member of the bar, he cannot represent anyone in the court of law. Criminal law is a vast and complex area and you need an expert attorney to defend yourself. Whereas an attorney who practices general law is not always familiar with criminal law, a specialized criminal defense lawyer knows all the ropes in his area of expertise. He is familiar with the criminal laws in the state of Virginia and with all the latest regulations and court rules in the criminal system.

Experience and reputation are telltale signs that a criminal defense attorney is good and reliable. An experienced criminal lawyer is typically a highly reputable lawyer, because experience and reputation go hand-in-hand; moreover, he can put in his expertise to represent you efficiently. If you are not guilty, then the charges against you will be dropped. More often than not, experienced criminal lawyers are former prosecutors who know from the inside how a criminal investigation is performed and they are skilled in criminal jury trial work. Therefore, they can use all this inside knowledge of the criminal system to your benefit. Regardless of the nature of the criminal charges, their expertise and experience are beneficial to your case.

When looking for a good criminal lawyer Virginia defendants should also take into consideration the fees charged for his legal services. Thus, the fees should be reasonable, not too high, but not too low either, because the latter is a sign that he lacks proper expertise and experience in the criminal law area. The fees should also be transparent and he should let you know the exact amount from the get-go, including the upfront fee and the total amount of fees charged. Last but not least, proper communication in a timely and efficient manner between the criminal defense attorney and his client is crucial. Honesty and promptness are key qualities of any good criminal lawyer. He should return your calls and emails promptly and one way of finding out if he is the right lawyer for you is to schedule a free consultation. The person should make everything clear in the meetings. It is also important that you be comfortable with the person. If you do not feel comfortable working with them, hiring them makes no sense.

The author is associated with Virginia Beach Law Group, a well-acclaimed Virginia traffic lawyer and criminal attorney.