If you are stuck in a criminal case, you have so much at stake. You cannot afford to have a mediocre criminal attorney who may ruin your case. Depending upon your financial circumstances, you may want to hire a public or private criminal attorney. You can also choose to represent yourself on your own if you cannot afford to hire an attorney or you have confidence on yourself, but it is not a great idea whatsoever. Experience matters a lot in the field of criminal law. The person fighting the case must know the ups and downs of your case, which may not be the case if deal with it yourself. That is why; it is better to research well, and then hire a professional attorney.
However, you may find this task daunting since there are so many options of criminal lawyers available, and every one of them claiming to be the best. Depending on your case, you may have to shortlist a few lawyers and ask them a few questions. First, you must consider the following factors:
Experience and education
According to the norms of your country, you must enquire about the education and experience of your prospective lawyer. If the degrees are not explicitly mentioned in the office of the attorney, you can also ask about in. Do not hesitate to ask about the experience as well.
Funding options
Your attorney has to be affordable, so you must discuss the present and future expenses very clearly before you hire the lawyer. You can also look for a few law firms where the lawyers are funded by means of legal aid. These firms can provide you with competitive or fixed rates for your case. The benefit of giving a fixed fee, even if it is high, is that you do not have to worry about the increasing bills of the lawyer for every new event.
Recommendations
In case you already know someone who has undergone a similar experience, he/ she may help you or refer you a reputed criminal attorney. You can always ask your family and friends for references. You can also check for testimonials on the website of your prospective lawyer from the former clients in order to judge the services of the attorney.
Trust
Trust is the most crucial thing when you are looking around to hire a criminal lawyer. You must call and meet your prospective layer to judge whether you can confide in them or not. You can also ask around about the reputation of the lawyer since our judgment may not always be right.
Commitment
Since you are already under stress because of the criminal case, you must ask your criminal attorney to stay committed to your case. The lawyer must be able to do every possible thing for you to secure the finest result for your criminal case and he/ she must possess the expertise and experience to represent you. Select a lawyer who can give you straight- forward and honest advice. If you feel confident that your effort and time with the lawyer will make your case stronger, only then you should hire the lawyer.