Top 3 Things To Look For In A Criminal Defense Attorney

Have you recently been accused of a crime that you didn't commit? Are you worried about what will happen if you are convicted of this crime? A good criminal defense attorney can be the difference between being found innocent and being punished for something that you didn't do. But finding a good attorney can seem difficult when you're worried about the outcome of the pending case. When you're worried, it can be easy to overlook the obvious. Here are some things that will help you pick a lawyer for your case:

Area of expertise: Have you been accused of breaking federal law, or a relatively minor local law? The more serious the charge, the more expertise that you'll need. A criminal defense attorney who typically defends accused carjackers may not be much help if you've received a Federal-level extortion charge. On the other hand, a federal-level lawyer will be overkill if your supposed crime is shoplifting. If you are unsure whether your crime is local, state, or federal, many attorneys will be able to tell you over the phone whether or not they can and will defend you against the charges that you've received. 

Years of experience: If you've been accused of a serious crime, you'll want a criminal defense attorney with as much experience as possible defending you. When you've been charged with drug dealing, you don't want a lawyer who only has experience with minor drug possession charges. Make sure to ask potential attorneys whether they've handled similar cases before and what sort of track record they've had with their past cases. They won't be able to go into great detail, but they should at least be able to give you some basic statistics 

Communication and rapport: The best criminal defense attorney in the world would be no good to you if the two of you don't get along. You don't have to be friends with your lawyer, but he or she should be able to explain things in a way that you can understand. Not everyone is able to establish a rapport; failure to do so may be no fault of your own or of the potential attorney. However, after your first meeting, you should have a good feeling about the attorney that you just met. If you have any doubts, you may want to consider talking to other attorneys so you can find one that will better suit your personality.