Choosing a reliable criminal defense lawyer can become a daunting task if you have no previous experience of working with a lawyer. But you can make things easier for yourself and make the right hiring decision if you follow the proven tips mentioned below – keep reading to find out more!
Check Their Experience
Exploring the previous experience of a lawyer can tell you a lot about their skills. If a lawyer has won for their clients in the past, chances are that they are going to be a good fit for your case.
Checking the experience of a lawyer is not difficult. You can start by visiting their website. Many lawyers post details of the cases they’ve worked on in the past. Besides that, you can check the local bar association and verify the experience of a lawyer.
You can try asking for help from a friend or a family member to speed up the process of exploring the experiences of different lawyers and help you save time.
Gauge Their Knowledge of Local Courts
A lawyer will find it easier to win your case if they have proper experience dealing with local courts. If your case is being heard in a local court, you should explore different lawyers to find the one who knows how to deal with local courts the right way.
It’s better to contact lawyers who reside in your state. For example, Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law, is one of the skilled lawyers who know a lot about the local courts of Mississippi. Working with them might be a good option if you live in Mississippi
Read the Testimonials of Their Clients
A lawyer might be a good fit for your case but might lack the necessary skills like customer support. Instead of making the hiring decision based solely on the experience of a lawyer, you should also check what their previous clients have to say about them.
Reading the testimonials gives you “unbiased insight” about a lawyer and helps you decide if you should hire them or not. You can check the website of a lawyer to find out if they have posted testimonials of their previous clients.
Besides that, you can also try asking for testimonials by exploring online groups of the residents of your area.
Ask for Their Availability
A lawyer can never be the right fit for you if they don’t have proper time to study and fight your case. Instead of working with a lawyer who doesn’t have time for you, it’s better to find a lawyer who is ready to give you their time.
Asking about the availability of a lawyer before hiring should be a simple process. You can reach out to the customer support of a lawyer and ask them about the availability of a lawyer. Contacting their customer support will also help you find out if they respond timely and how they treat the queries of potential clients.
Inspect Their Education
A lawyer must have proper knowledge about criminal defense law to ensure they can handle your case properly. Before hiring a lawyer, you should spare some time to explore their educational background. For example, you should check the Alma mater of a lawyer.
You should also check which postgraduate law diploma your lawyer holds. It’s also better to verify the educational credentials of a lawyer manually to ensure you’re hiring the right person for the job.
Compare the Fees
Choosing a good criminal defense lawyer doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money. It’s your right to compare the fees of different lawyers to choose the one you can easily afford.
Most lawyers don’t have an elaborate fee structure for provided services on their websites. It’s better to contact their customer support team and ask them for a rough estimation of how much it will cost to handle your case.
Note down the fees of different lawyers and gauge the fees by their experience to help you decide which lawyer is the best for you.
Explore Their Recent Experience
The most important thing about hiring a criminal defense lawyer is checking if they have won a case recently. By gauging the recent experience of a lawyer, you can identify how active they are as a lawyer and what results they have brought for their clients.
Many lawyers post about their recent successes on social channels and their websites. You can check if a lawyer has posted something about their recent successful cases. Besides that, you can also reach out to them and ask if they can share any of their recent success stories with you.
Know About Their Customer Support
Hiring a lawyer who doesn’t respond to your queries and fails to provide guidance timely will make it impossible for you to win your criminal defense case. You need to only work with a lawyer who can respond to all your concerns during working hours and has the composure to deal with any question you might ask.
Reach out to the customer support team of a lawyer before you hire them. Ask their team about how they respond to their clients and what practices they follow to ensure maximum satisfaction of their clients.
Schedule a Meeting
Hiring a lawyer before meeting with them in person can decrease your chances of winning your case. You need to check the chemistry between you and your lawyer to ensure that you’re comfortable with them sharing the details of your case.
Having a meeting will also help you analyze the personality of the lawyer. Before having a meeting, it’s better to list down any questions that pop into your mind. You can accompany yourself with a friend or a family member to ensure you don’t forget any of the important questions.
Ask for Referrals
Doing the research yourself to find a reliable criminal defense lawyer can take a lot of time and effort. If you cannot disturb your routine by comparing different lawyers, you should consider choosing a lawyer through referrals. You can reach out to your friends and family and ask if they know a good lawyer.