3 Qualities of a Strong Criminal Defense Lawyer

You might consider yourself a law-abiding citizen who would never be in a position to require the services of a criminal defense lawyer. However, even if you generally do make an attempt to obey the law at all times, there may nevertheless come a day when you need to hire an attorney to represent you in this capacity.

Maybe you’ll be accused of a crime you didn’t commit. Maybe you’ll accidentally commit a crime because you didn’t realize you were breaking the law. Maybe you’ll simply make a mistake, which can occur even when you typically strive to obey the law.

Regardless, if you ever do need to hire a criminal defense attorney, you need to keep in mind that not all criminal defense lawyers are equally talented and experienced. Qualities to look for when hiring a strong criminal defense attorney include the following:

A Proven Track Record

It’s unlikely you’ll find a seasoned criminal defense attorney who has won literally every single case they’ve ever taken on. In general, though, you should research a lawyer’s success-to-failure ratio to determine whether they are qualified to represent you. 

The Right Kind of Experience

Criminal defense is technically a fairly broad term. Criminal defense attorneys can theoretically take on many different types of cases

You already know that experience is a quality you should seek out in a criminal defense lawyer when hiring one. That said, you should also keep in mind that the right criminal defense lawyer for you will have experience handling cases similar to yours. For example, an attorney who only handles small-level crimes like minor burglary and juvenile cases isn’t necessarily ideal for your needs if you’re accused of a white-collar crime. Even if they’re very good at their job, that doesn’t mean they’ll be equipped to help you win your case.

Confirm that any attorney you’re thinking about hiring has genuinely relevant experience working with clients like you. You may even want to ask for some detail regarding how they’ve handled cases like yours in the past. They might not be able to provide too much information due to attorney-client privilege, but they should likely be able to give you some info clarifying how they typically go about defending clients in cases similar to your own.

Honesty

An attorney needs to walk a fine line when consulting with a potential new client. This is particularly true in regard to how they discuss the way they expect a case to play out. An attorney can say they do or don’t expect a certain outcome, but it is unethical for a lawyer to promise that a case will be resolved in a certain manner.

An attorney who promises or guarantees they will win your case isn’t necessarily one you should trust. They may be making promises because they are eager for your business. If they were a truly strong attorney, they wouldn’t need to make such promises.

Just make sure to thoroughly consider your options when deciding which lawyer to hire. Choosing a strong lawyer is key to optimizing your chances of arriving at a desirable outcome for your case. In other words, the right attorney can significantly influence your future in many ways.