If you’ve been accused of a crime, you’ll want help to clear your name. To accomplish that, you’ll need to find a criminal attorney. Criminal lawyers are law professionals who are experienced in criminal defense cases. During your first meeting with your attorney, they will review the laws concerning your case and let you know which possible outcomes you may expect.
If you don’t know which attorney to choose, ask your friends or family to recommend the best criminal law firm they know. Defendants who need additional help to find a top criminal lawyer can contact their local Chamber of Commerce, who can provide a list of local attorneys. Although general practice attorneys can work with clients facing criminal charges, you may want to insist on a criminal lawyer because you want the best result possible.
Some clients can’t afford a private defense attorney. If you are in this situation, you can ask someone at the court to refer you to a public defense attorney. The law requires that all defendants should be offered a way to defend themselves in court, and public defense attorneys are ideal for those cases.
We all see the gang crime statistics and the high-profile murder cases that involve a skilled criminal defense lawyer. All too often the person on trial is convicted in the court of public opinion, and many of us lose sight of the fact that guilt must be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
It can be an imperfect process, and at least one survey of judges, attorneys and law enforcement personnel has revealed that as many as 10,000 people in the United States may be wrongfully convicted every year of serious crimes. The reason in more than half the cases is that the defendant was identified incorrectly by an eyewitness.
Included in the gang crime statistics, of course, are drug-related offenses. In 2013, there were more than 11 million total arrests, and 1,501,043 of those were for violations of drug laws.
DUI consequences call for the services of local attorneys with expertise in that area. Arrests for DUI total more than 1.4 million annually.
There are many other reasons you may need to find an attorney, and it’s a good idea to do some research and find out which ones specialize in legal situations such as the one in which you find yourself. Read reviews, if any, and ask about the firm’s willingness to defend you in court and their success rate when their clients’ cases do go before a judge and jury.
If it’s a matter of criminal law, remember that the system can be flawed. Mistakes are made every day, and competent representation by a criminal defense attorney can make all the difference in terms of your future. Headlines blaring gang crime statistics and all those scripted stories on television can mask the fact that the legal process isn’t always as cut-and-dried as we might like to think. Remember…if you are arrested and detained for a crime, accept nothing anyone says at face value. As soon as possible, you should seek, evaluate and accept the advice of an attorney at law.
You may have heard these wise words, attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.”