When the time comes to decide who to hire to defend your criminal case, there are a lot of factors to be taken into consideration. First, you want to find someone with experience in dealing with criminal legal circumstances like yours. Keep in mind that experience alone is not always a good indication of success. While we like to believe that experience is the gold standard for quality legal representation, it is not axiomatic that experience leads to success.
One thing to consider when hiring a criminal defense lawyer is whether the lawyer has been disciplined for unprofessional conduct by his/her state bar. The state bar handles complaints filed against lawyers and can be a good source of information with regard to the professional reputation and abilities of your prospective criminal defense law firm.
It is important to keep in mind that many criminal cases do not reach a jury trial. Most criminal cases are resolved as the result of a plea agreement. Obtaining a favorable plea agreement may depend a great part on the ability, knowledge, and experience of your criminal defense lawyer. This is an area where it is especially important to select a criminal lawyer who has had experience and success negotiating plea agreements for cases similar to yours.
What processes are in place to enable open lines of communication between you and your criminal lawyer?
Is your criminal defence lawyer accurately and honestly explaining your situation to you? Has your defense lawyer outlined the risks, circumstances, and potential outcomes of taking your case to a jury trial? Has your criminal defense attorney communicated each potential option with you including the likelihood of success and the consequences and penalties associated with each option?
Has your criminal lawyer or juvenile crime lawyer clearly explained your fee arrangement?
Has your criminal defense lawyer or juvenile court lawyer documented your family situation including whether you have dependents to support, whether you are professionally licensed and/or whether your county of residence possesses alternatives to incarceration that you may pre qualify for?
These are all important considerations to be made when choosing your criminal defense lawyer. The more information and the better your communication, the better chance you have of obtaining a favorable outcome in your criminal legal situation. If you and your criminal defense lawyer fail to properly communicate with each other, you may miss opportunities that could help resolve your situation in your favor. That is why it is so important to make an informed decision with regard to hiring your criminal defense lawyer, hence choose “Mark C. Cogan, P.C.
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