When an individual is arrested, whether it is a relatively minor charge or serious charge, the person is faced immediately with two very important issues to consider. The first one is determining how to get released from custody as soon as possible. The other critical issue that needs to be considered, for both the short term and long term, is figuring out how to locate a reputable and qualified defense attorney.
The first issue is often solved when the second consideration is dealt with. However, the issue of how to effectively post bail is a topic we have discussed previously here: What is Bail?, and here: Setting Bail and Bail Hearings.
Choosing a qualified defense lawyer might depend on whether or not the attorney needs to intervene immediately or whether the case is a minor one and will move through the court system more slowly. If the latter is the case, the individual who has been arrested will have more time to find a reputable attorney. If the individual under arrest is facing a serious felony charge and is held in custody, then obviously this person will require assistance immediately. This can make things difficult since the person will only have a short amount of time to find a qualified attorney.
If the person had council previously and had been satisfied with the attorney’s work, then the same lawyer should be immediately contacted. The next way to locate a good defense attorney is through reputation. Since you only have a limited amount of time to seek out council, there are just a couple of ways to do this. Your best resource for immediate help would be to get a referral from someone you know who is familiar with a lawyer’s work. There are many qualified attorney advertising online. However, all attorneys can advertise over the internet, whether they are qualified or not. An attractive and slick website doesn’t necessarily mean the attorney provides quality legal services.
You can ask family members and friends to get in touch with their family and friends to see if anyone has a good recommendation for you. At this point, your major concern should not be how much representation is going to cost. If you find an attorney who you feel comfortable and satisfied with, the fee should be only a secondary consideration for you. A majority of attorneys don’t charge a fee for an initial consultation and won’t charge you unless they are performing work on your behalf.
If you get released by your own recognizance or are bailed out, it will provide you with more time for choosing the right attorney at a reasonable price.
If you get arrested on just a minor charge and either get released for some reason or are not incarcerated, take your time choosing a qualified attorney. You can ask various family members and friends for recommendations. If you do get referrals, visit several of these attorneys to see who you think may be the best lawyer to represent you. Remember that you and the attorney you hire will work very closely together. So that is why feeling comfortable with him or her is extremely important.
There is a Lawyer Referral Service offered by the Suffolk County Bar Association. You can get in contact with them by calling (631)234-5577. Just let them know what kind of legal problem you have, and they will furnish you with the names of three attorneys at least who have had continuing education in this specific area of law. Before choosing an attorney, interview each of them.
You can not only find various law firm websites on the internet, but you also have access to a wealth of information on numerous individual attorneys. You can research an individual attorney’s name and get information on the cases this lawyer has worked on, the kinds of cases she or he normally handles and other kinds of general information on the attorney who you are thinking about hiring. Our office practices criminal law only. However, as a courtesy, we do make referrals to other lawyers practicing in other areas of the law. We are not an attorney referral service, however we are happy to provide assistance to our clients as well as prospective clients.
To contact the Law Office of Naiburg, Obedin, and Weissman for a free consultation call (631) 979-7777.