Whenever a person is arrested, whether it is a serious charge or a fairly minor one, the individual is immediately faced with two critical issues that must be considered. The first issue is to determine how to be released from custody as quickly as possible. The second critical issue that must be considered, for the long-term as well as the short term, is determining how to find a qualified and reputable defense attorney to represent them.
Quite often the first consideration is solved when the second issue is dealt with. However, we will be discussing how to post bail effectively in a separate article.
Selecting a qualified defense attorney may depend on if the lawyer has to immediately intervene or whether it is a minor case that will be slowly making its way through the court system. If it is the second scenario, then the person who was arrested will be able to take more time to locate a good lawyer. If the person who is under arrest is faced with a serious felony charge and is being held in custody, then the person will need to find immediate assistance. That can make it very hard since the individual will have just a short amount of time to locate a qualified attorney to help them.
If an individual has worked with a lawyer previous and was satisfied with the work they did, then the same attorney should be contacted immediately. Reputation is the next best way of finding a good defense lawyer. Given that you have just a short amount of time to find counsel, there are only a few ways that you can do that. Your best resource to get help immediately would be to obtain a referral from somebody you trust and know who is familiar with the attorney’s work. Numerous qualified attorneys advertise online. However, any lawyer can do internet advertising, whether or not they are qualified. A slick and attractive website doesn’t automatically mean quality legal services will be provided by the attorney.
You can contact friends and family members and have them ask their friends and family to see if anybody has any good recommendations. At that point, how much the lawyer is going to cost shouldn’t be should major concern. You need to find an attorney you feel satisfied and comfortable with, and the fee that they shared should just be a secondary consideration. Most attorneys don’t charge for their initial consultation and you won’t be charged any money until they are actually doing work for you.
If you are bailed out or released on your own recognizance, it will give you more time to find a good lawyer who charges an affordable price.
If you are arrested on a minor charge or are not incarcerated or are released, then you can and should take your time when it comes to selecting a qualified attorney to hire. You can ask different friends and family members for referrals. If you do get some recommendations, meet with several of the lawyers to see who might be the best attorney to represent you. Keep in mind that you will be working very closely together with the lawyer you hire. That is why it is very important to feel comfortable with your attorney.
You will not only find different law firm websites online, but you can also access a massive amount of information on many lawyers. You can conduct research on individual lawyers to get more information on their cases, the types of cases they usually handle as well as other types of information on the lawyer before you hire him or her. Our office only practices criminal law. However, we do offer referrals to other attorneys who practice in other areas of the law as a courtesy. Our firm is not an attorney referral service, but we are very happy to provide prospective and current clients with assistance.