When you need a Criminal Defense Attorney, you are vulnerable in a way no other area of law touches. Your very liberty and freedom are at stake. Everyone facing criminal charges for felony or misdemeanors is entitled to a jury trial, or a trial of one’s peers. You want to make sure that you hire a lawyer with plenty of experience with jury trials, because it’s different than anything else in law. Most other areas of law deal with a judge deciding the law and the facts, but criminal law relies on a jury to decide the facts, and the judge to decide the law. Here are some tips on how to choose a criminal lawyer.
Find a Hard Working Attorney
First, you need a Criminal Defense Attorney who works hard, and is willing to help you hire a private investigator to interview witnesses on your behalf. The police have already conducted their investigation, and your Attorney should be helping you conduct your own with the aid of a private investigator. Next, your Attorney has to be knowledgeable about the law, and what kind of penalties you might be facing.
Ask yourself, do you feel comfortable with this Attorney?
You also want to work with a lawyer who is responsive and who you feel comfortable with. All lawyers have different styles, so you want to make sure you feel at ease with your lawyer’s personality and abilities both in and out of the courtroom. You also want someone who knows how to barter and to get you the best possible deal outside of trial.
Finally, your Criminal Defense Attorney better be good in front of a jury and have plenty of experience selecting juries and conducting jury trials. Many Criminal Defense Attorneys (myself included) believe that a jury trial is won or lost during Voire Dire, which is essentially a fancy way of saying jury selection. Why is this? Because the jury decides innocence or guilt. Obtaining the best jury is paramount in any criminal case, so you want to make sure your lawyer is a skilled practitioner, and has recently tried a criminal case before a jury. You also want to hire a lawyer from the same geographic area you are living in, because the lawyer will know how the Court operates, and often how best to appeal to local jurors.
If you live in the Fresno, Visalia, or Hanford area and need a criminal lawyer contact The Law Office of Michelle D. Wallis.
Have more questions on how to choose a criminal lawyer?
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