When you face a criminal case, and criminal charges are leveled against you, it seems like the end of the world. It can be heartening for you to know that the gravest of criminal charges are being leveled today, thick and fast, at many people and most of them are coming out smiling out of the proceedings. The reason being, they hired a competent lawyer to represent them. Know about some of the most important questions that you need to ask to a criminal defense lawyer, before you hire him/her.
How serious are the charges?
You have to find out whether the charges leveled against you are very serious, and what legal strategies would be taken by your attorney to counter them. A competent lawyer would never shy away from telling you what exactly you are in and some of the techniques that would be used by him and his team in your legal defense.
What are my chances?
Whether you are hiring a civil litigation lawyer, a sex crime lawyer, a DUI attorney or some other criminal defense attorney, it is important to find out about the possible outcomes that you have. You have to check whether the outcome or the verdict of the court of law is likely to be favorable for you, the possible risks in case you fail, the odds of a settlement, etc. You should also find out how many cases of the lawyer go to trial, and what the percentages of wins are that he can manage.
Do you charge by the hour?
If you have faced a serious charge, it would be better for you to hire a professional license defense lawyer who has a fixed rate for each case. When you hire a lawyer with hourly charges, the costs are likely to be huge for you to bear over the long term – in case you have to retain the attorney for weeks and months. In a few circumstances, switching over to another lawyer is not advisable as well. You might not get the same level of in-depth knowledge, skills, competence, and training as the previous one.
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