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*

  1. How Long Have you Been Practicing Law?
  2. Who on your team or at your firm will be working on my case besides you?
  3. Do you have any specialties within the scope of criminal law?
  4. What type of experience do you have working on cases like mine?
  5. What kind of outcome or track record do you have representing cases like mine?
  6. As my criminal defense attorney, how often will we communicate?
  7. Will we meet in person or can meetings be done over the phone?
  8. What kind of a role do you expect me to have in my case and at trial?
  9. How much do you charge and how much will my case cost?
  10. What types of defense strategies do you feel would work best for my case?
  11. How often do your cases go to trial vs. settled or dismissed?
  12. How often do you appear before judges in the court where my trial will be held?
  13. How strong is my case?
  14. Do I have any options other than going to trial?
  15. How long will the process be?
  16. What does the process look like from this point forward?
  17. What other information do you need from me to proceed?