If you have been accused of committing a serious crime, you must look for a professional and skilled lawyer immediately. Depending on the intensity of the case, you will have to approach the right lawyer. He will be able to not only free you from the consequences but most importantly help in restoring the personal and professional loss incurred during an action.
Time will be a factor in deciding the course of action. The lawyer will also need time to study the case thoroughly, gather information and prepare court reports. Beforehand, you need to prepare a questionnaire to get the best criminal defense attorney to fight the case for you. Below are the few points that will help in preparing your questions.
- Practise:
You need to find out prior experience and practice the lawyer has in a similar case you are charged instead of normal cases.
- Specialized area:
There is a wide definition of criminal cases and the majority are specific legal issues, such as murder, white-collar crimes, drugs, extortion etc. You should find out the number of cases he has solved similar to yours.
- Time Frame:
In any legal battle, time is an important factor. If you are not getting results on time, then it is of no use. If the lawyer does not opt for trial and settles the case through plea-bargains, he is not meant to handle your case and has lack of experience in trials. Though it is difficult to get the exact timings, the lawyer must provide a general estimate time-length.
- Legal Fees:
The legal fees differs from case to case. Some of the lawyers take flat fees, others might charge on an hourly basis. There might be a few of them who charge on upfront retainer fees. Whichever form of fees are demanded, you should always ask for the inclusions and exclusions in the fees with payment terms & conditions.
- Case management:
If you have approached the lawyer firm, you need to ask whether the lead lawyer shall personally represent the case and dedicate his time and efforts or the job shall be done by his subordinates. The criticality of the case shall be the deciding factor to choose the lawyer. To avoid misunderstandings, you should be aware of behind the scene details.
- Case assessment:
You should be aware of the planning and approach the lawyer is going to take to settle the case. You should ask the lawyer regarding the legal options, different stages of the proceedings, potential problems, aspects of case favourability and filings of motion. You need to find out whether the case shall go with trial or settled without facing the trial.
- Communication:
It is very important that the lawyer is available round the clock and especially in an emergency considering the criminal charges you are facing. The lawyer should be available to answer the questions whether they are related to personal or professional life during the proceedings.
- Documentation:
The proceedings require lots of documentation and every minute details related to the case. The lawyer should prepare a list of all the documents and information that needs to be submitted.
The above list is not exhaustive since changes in every bit of information may pose a different set of questions. The answer to the only question “why” would decide the dedication, loyalty, integrity of the lawyer you are planning to approach.
Goodman Criminal Lawyer
520 S 4th St,
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 383 – 5088
