When prison time is in question, there is no doubt that you only want the best defense possible for your case. However, it is not every day that you go about hiring defense attorneys so you are bound to make mistakes.

However, this does not mean that you cannot be prepared and look out for common mistakes to avoid during this process. 

This is exactly why we have put together a list of 4 major mistakes to avoid when hiring a criminal defense attorney:

1. Hiring A Novice Attorney

There are simply no errors allowed when it comes to critical matters like criminal accusations. This is precisely why hiring a novice attorney is one of the costliest mistakes you can make when hiring criminal defense representation. 

However, experience does not always mean that you need to hire someone who has taken on a lot of cases. First of all, you need to hire someone who has a success rate when you examine the number of cases they have fought. 

Secondly, you need to hire someone who has seen the inside of a courtroom. Chances are high that you will need to go to trial so courtroom experience is a must. No matter how strong your case is, if your attorney cannot present it right in front of a jury, there is no saving you.

Remember, there are no second chances before a jury, so don’t take a risk. 

Trust your gut feeling about who you should hire to prove your innocence.

2. Working With A General Attorney

Although a novice attorney can be a nightmare, no amount of experience can compete with the right experience. The right experience is what wins cases. Therefore, another major mistake that many people make is hiring an attorney who handles all types of cases as they come to them.

Working with a general attorney and not a specific criminal defense attorney also means that the arguments may not be as persuasive, especially in front of a jury.

Remember that you need to hire someone who has specialized in your field. The advantage of hiring expert lawyers is that they’ve spent all their entire lives studying the type of crime they specialize in.

This means your attorney will know the ins and outs of the laws governing that specific crime. Being able to think on the feet about set case precedents and loopholes in the legislature can save your entire case and your life in the process.

Hence, you should not settle for a general attorney when criminal defense cases are in question regardless of how affordable or approachable they seem.

3. Ignoring The Difference Between Public and Private Attorneys

Speaking of affordable attorneys, the entire conversation so far has been about private lawyers who belong to private law firms. However, as someone who needs to hire a lawyer for the defense, you are also entitled to a public defender if necessary.

Public defenders are a great option for those who cannot afford a private defense attorney. However, if you have the means to hire a private lawyer instead or have found someone who will work your case pro-bono, you should go the private route.

There is nothing wrong with hiring a public defender as far as skill or education goes, and public defenders have to be commended for the work they do for the less fortunate.

Although they are highly capable, it’s a well known fact that public defenders are unbelievably overworked and stretched thin across many cases. Since the government must assign when someone applies for public defenders, they usually end up working on a bunch of cases simultaneously.

A great private defense attorney carefully picks the handful of clients they take on guaranteeing devoted hours to working on their cases. This level of attention and devotion is necessary to create a great case for your defense.

Don’t miss out on the countless advantages of hiring a private attorney.

4. Hiring Without Researching Reviews And Reputation

Another common mistake that many people make is hiring someone without enquiring about the quality of their service and their reputation in the circles they run.

While customer reviews may seem arbitrary when talking about lawyers, reviews can help you understand the way the attorney handles cases as far as professionalism goes.

Regardless of what the reviews say, you should look into an attorney’s reputation as well. Reputation is important because most criminal defense attorneys will fight cases in front of the same judges who are part of their state’s legal system.

No matter how much we think of the judicial process and system to be completely black and white, the real stakes lie in the grey. Lawyers and judges will start to recognize each other and even develop relationships over time.

Gaining the favor of a judge can be instrumental in winning a case. While a lawyer’s bond with the judge won’t matter too much when in court, it can help immensely when trying to arrange emergency meetings with the judge or get emergency warrants for discovery purposes.

While staying in the good books of a judge is great for a defense attorney the opposite can harm your case. For example, if your attorney has a bad history with the judge assigned to decide your case, the judge can be more strict and make life harder for you because of your defense counsel.

Therefore, it is important to gauge your attorney’s reputation before you hire them.

Conclusion

All in all, hiring a defense attorney can be a difficult and time-taking process as you will have to talk to multiple law firms before you find the right fit. It is important to remember that you should not rush this process but also don’t wait until the last minute to hire representation.

Since this is a hard decision to make, you should keep the above mistakes in mind and make sure that you avoid these at all costs. 

These can truly make or break your case.