Once you believe you’ve found a possibly suitable lawyer for your unique needs, you can compile a list of questions to ask them.
If you have never been accused of any crime before, you may not know how to choose a criminal defense attorney to represent your best interests to the level you need. While you aren’t short on options, it’s worth knowing that not all attorneys have the experience and tenacity you require to achieve results.
To potentially improve your chances of getting the best possible outcome when it comes to your charges, consider doing the following things before signing on with a new lawyer.
Ask for Recommendations
If any of your friends or family have required the services of a criminal defense attorney and had great success with who they chose, ask them for a recommendation. Sometimes, this can save you a great deal of time and energy browsing the internet for suitable attorneys, as those closest to you wouldn’t recommend someone they didn’t trust.
You may also want to ask them questions about their experience with their attorney so that you can have a general understanding of what they’ll be like before you contact them.
Check Out Websites
After being arrested for drug or alcohol possession, theft, or another issue, you’ll need to hire a lawyer without delay. Narrow down your options quickly by checking out the websites of attorneys or law firms in your area.
Simply type what you need into your search engine to find a list of relevant websites, such as ‘criminal defense attorney Michigan’ or ‘criminal lawyer Detroit.’ You can then begin clicking on each site one by one to find out what services they offer, how many attorneys they have, their experience levels and positions, and more.
After browsing a few different sites, you may choose to contact just one you like the look of or several to improve your chances of securing one you like.
Read Reviews
When your future hangs in the balance, hiring the best defense lawyer possible can be of great importance. Even when you’ve looked at websites and asked for recommendations, there’s no harm in also reading online reviews on search engines.
When real people have had a positive experience with a business, it may increase your confidence levels that they may be able to provide you with the same experience.
Find Testimonials
When you’re wary of the level of experience a lawyer or law firm has had and whether they come recommended or not, see if you can identify any testimonials from genuine customers. These can sometimes be linked to online reviews but may also be simple statements on a law firm website for you to draw a conclusion about them.
While testimonials aren’t necessarily the most reliable source of information to learn if you’re choosing the right attorney, they can provide some insight into whether people are trusting of specific law firms to help with their case.
Look at Results
Even with excellent reviews and recommendations from family and friends, you likely want to be entirely sure that you’re hiring the right legal team for your unique case. View some of their case outcomes to familiarize yourself with their capabilities.
Many competent lawyers post case outcomes on their websites that describe cases they have worked on, the results they achieved, and how they worked toward those successful outcomes. This information can prove valuable, especially if you find information relating to a case similar to your own, such as drunk driving, assault, or theft.
While you can’t assume your own outcome will be the same, you can at least gain insight into your preferred law firm’s capabilities and the lengths they will go to for a successful conclusion.
Ask Questions
Once you believe you’ve found a possibly suitable lawyer for your unique needs, you can compile a list of questions to ask them when you request to meet them for a case review. Any of the questions below may be some you add to your list:
- What is your success rate?
- How long have you been practicing law?
- How many people in my situation have you helped?
- How long will my case take?
- What are the potential outcomes of my case?
While they may not have the answers to all your questions, such as how long your case will take and what the potential outcomes can be, they may be able to answer many of them so that you can get a sense of who they are and what their capabilities are. This information may allow you to gauge whether they’re someone you may trust with your case.
With so many law firms to choose from, it’s not always easy to find one you trust and know will do right by you. However, by taking some of these steps above, you may put yourself in the best position to hire an attorney you trust.
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