It was almost good news when the occurrence of violent crimes in the United States plummeted over the last two decades. However, the precious dream came to a halt when it rose again in 2015, disappointing the government authorities. These days, it is almost as if anyone can be vulnerable of being criminally charged. It is truly frustrating to find yourself in the position of being accused with criminal charges whether you may have intended for it to happen or not. 

The stress inflicted on you for being accused can ultimately take a toll on your overall emotional, mental, and physical health—even bringing you the danger of being unable to control the rollercoaster of emotions as you try to rationalize the situation at hand. But when it begins to seem like you’re a lost cause, the right criminal defense lawyer can take you out of the situation and help you redeem yourself before you are put behind bars. However, what are the most common criminal charges that you could possibly be accused of?

The most common criminal charges are:

• Drug possession
• Burglary
• Aiding / Accessory
• Physical assault / Battery
• Theft / Larceny
• Murder
• Rape

What can a criminal defense lawyer do for you?

When you are called into court, it is important that you are represented well by an attorney that understands your situation best. No matter which type of crime is charged against you, having a legal representation in the court of law is one of your rights. This is to make sure that you are defended well, and if you are wrongly accused of a crime that you didn’t commit in the first place—you will be able to present your defense and the evidence well enough to be convincing to the judge and the jury. With a criminal defense lawyer guiding you in the legal proceedings, you will be less likely to incriminate yourself, which is a common problem done by the defendant themselves.

Aside from that, having a lawyer with you can ensure that you will be treated fairly by law enforcement by protecting your rights and holding the law enforcement officers accountable for their actions when they try to take advantage of you.

With that in mind, here are some tips to guide you in choosing a lawyer to defend you against criminal charges:

Expertise in the field

With the complexity of modern law, general attorneys are no longer sufficient, meaning that attorneys who specialize in a specific field are more lauded and may be more useful when it comes to your case. One of the main advantages for hiring an attorney with criminal defense expertise is that they will have a greater understanding of tactics that could be applied in your case. Aside from that, it will also be easier for them to navigate through the whole legal proceedings by knowing exactly what to do and what is needed in order to assure you that everything will work out in your favor—further preventing you from being put behind bars.

Clean reputation

Entrusting your case to an attorney with a clean reputation is very important. Think of it this way: would you entrust your life to a doctor who has a past of medical malpractice? No. Therefore, the same principle should be applied when it comes to hiring the right lawyer for you. You will know if you have picked the right lawyer when he or she doesn’t have any history of any problems with their previous clients. Having a winning streak in all their cases is also a big plus, therefore, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t hire such an attorney who falls into this category.

Experience

It is advantageous to you if you hire a lawyer who has handled cases in the past that are similar to yours. Not only will this be a guaranteeing factor that they know what they’re doing, but this will also mean that he or she knows how the process usually goes and therefore, this can assure you that everything will turn out fine in the end. Entrusting your case to an inexperienced lawyer can only make you comparable to a substance being put on a petri dish to be studied under the microscope for the sake of “an experiment”—and this can ultimately damage you and will most likely put you in a dangerous position of losing the case.

Humility

Once you encounter a lawyer who uses hyperbole in order to impress you on how he or she can end your suffering by winning the case for you—chances are that they can’t. When you begin to notice an inkling of boastfulness in a lawyer’s tone, consider this a red flag and begin talking to another lawyer instead. A great lawyer doesn’t have to do an awful lot of lip service in order to prove to you that they can serve you well with the criminal charges against you. Instead, they should maintain their level-headedness by delivering rather than speaking about it. A great lawyer would not also invalidate the rollercoaster of emotions that you are feeling just because they have handled cases like yours before. Instead, he or she would rationalize with you and assure you from time to time that the final jurisdiction will work in your favor as long as the both of you continue to work hand-in-hand to win the case.

Comfortable client-attorney chemistry

A lot of clients become shoved to the side for being treated as “just one of the clients,” however, no one should be treated that way. You should always be treated as THE client no matter how big or small your case is. It is also important to remember that as your lawyer, you will have to disclose every minute detail to make sure you won’t have a blind spot once you go to court. This also means that there has to be complete honesty between you and your attorney. It can’t be stressed enough how important it really is for a client and an attorney to have a great professional relationship in order to make the case easier to work with to be successful.

The journey towards winning the case involves appropriate defense against criminal charges. The process can be stressful, but with the right criminal defense lawyer who embodies the qualities enumerated above, you can guarantee that you’re taking the appropriate steps to win the case and will be free of worry from then on.

Author:

Leonard Wright

Leonard Wright understands that as a writer, one must be able to not just to inform readers of their topics, but to do it in an entertaining and interesting fashion. As such, his pieces as a contributor for Wirth Law Office are not just packed with information, but also injected with Leonard’s creative “flair.” If he’s not writing, he loves jogging during his free time.