Hiring a criminal defense lawyer is one of the most important decisions you may have to make in life. Your choice can mean the difference between exoneration and freedom, or a criminal record that haunts you a lifetime, and time behind bars.
Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring a Defense Lawyer Include
*Some of these questions will be situational to your case and circumstance*
- How Long Have you Been Practicing Law?
- Who on your team or at your firm will be working on my case besides you?
- Do you have any specialties within the scope of criminal law?
- What type of experience do you have working on cases like mine?
- What kind of outcome or track record do you have representing cases like mine?
- As my criminal defense attorney, how often will we communicate?
- Will we meet in person or can meetings be done over the phone?
- What kind of a role do you expect me to have in my case and at trial?
- How much do you charge and how much will my case cost?
- What types of defense strategies do you feel would work best for my case?
- How often do your cases go to trial vs. settled or dismissed?
- How often do you appear before judges in the court where my trial will be held?
- How strong is my case?
- Do I have any options other than going to trial?
- How long will the process be?
- What does the process look like from this point forward?
- What other information do you need from me to proceed?
