If you need to hire an attorney to defend you during a criminal case at any point in your life, you shouldn’t have any problem finding one.

At this time, there are more than 1.3 million lawyers in the U.S., which makes law one of the most popular professions around. And while only a small percentage of lawyers are criminal defense attorneys, you still shouldn’t have any issues when you start your search for one.

Before hiring a defense attorney, it’s important that you have a firm understanding of what they do and how they can help you. It’s also essential to know the right time to hire an attorney.

Let’s take a closer look at what a criminal defense attorney actually does and when you should consider hiring one to represent you in court.

What Is a Criminal Defense Attorney?

A criminal defense attorney specializes in defending people during criminal cases in court.

Prior to the start of a court case, a prosecutor will file criminal charges against a defendant who has been accused of a crime. That person then has the right to defend themselves in court in an effort to show that they’re not guilty of the crimes they’ve been accused of.

While people do have the option of attempting to defend themselves in court without the assistance of an attorney (more on this later!), they will more often than not hire a criminal defense attorney to help them. It’s the attorney’s job to use their experience and expertise to defend their client during a criminal court case.

Criminal defense attorneys are typically called to defend clients during cases involving crimes like murder, DUI, drug possession, assault, robbery, and more. If you’re ever charged with one of these crimes or another crime, you should read more about the different kinds of cases that a criminal defense attorney can help you out with.

How Can They Help You?

Defending yourself in court might seem simple enough. You just stand up in front of the judge and say, “I didn’t do it!”, before sitting back down and waiting for a verdict, right?

We’ve all seen enough episodes of Law and Order to know that that’s not how it works. A defendant needs to be prepared to do a lot more than that to be found not guilty of a crime.

When you hire an attorney for a criminal case, they’ll help you in lots of different ways. From your initial arraignment when you’re formally charged with a crime to your jury trial – if things get to that point, your attorney will be by your side every step of the way.

Throughout your case, your criminal defense attorney will:

• Make sure you fully understand the charges that have been filed against you
• Talk to you about the potential consequences that could come along with being found guilty of the charges filed against you
• Piece together a clearer picture of what happened during the incident that led to your arrest
• Use their legal expertise to find the best possible ways to defend you in court
• Find ways to discount the evidence against you presented by the prosecutor
• Consider the possibility of you accepting a plea deal in exchange for lesser charges and fewer consequences
• Explain everything that happens during your case to you so that you aren’t confused about what’s going on

Because there are so many lawyers out there, some people assume that it must be fairly simple to get a law degree. That couldn’t be further from the truth!

Criminal defense lawyers study hard so that they understand the ins and outs of the law. This allows them to come up with the right approach for defending a client. It also gives you a better chance of ultimately being successful in the courtroom.

How Much Will It Cost to Hire One?

One of the first things you’re probably going to ask when you consider hiring a criminal defense attorney is “How much is this going to cost me?”

Lawyers have earned a reputation for charging exorbitant fees to defend clients in court. But the truth is that there are many factors that go into how much an attorney will charge you for their services.

Some of these factors include:

• How much experience they have (less experienced lawyers who are still trying to get their practices off the ground will usually charge less than ones that have been around for years)
• How complex your specific case is (more complex cases are more expensive)
• How you decide to pay them (lawyers will often charge clients either by the hour or with one flat fee)

It’s impossible to say exactly how much a criminal defense attorney will charge you without knowing the specifics of your case. But generally speaking, most defense attorneys charge somewhere between $3,500 and $4,500 in legal fees for their services.

When Is the Right Time to Hire One?

In a perfect world, everyone would have an attorney on retainer at all times, just in case. But that obviously isn’t very practical, so you need to know when to hire an attorney if you’re ever charged with a crime.

You don’t necessarily need to hire one right away. But it’s better to hire one as quickly as you can once you find out that you’re going to be charged with a crime. This will help you avoid a scenario in which you say too much to the police during an investigation.

If you just discovered that you’re going to be charged with a crime, you should, at the very least, start searching for a good defense attorney. It’ll put you in a better position should you have to hire an attorney quickly.

Where Can You Find a Good Defense Attorney?

Since there are so many lawyers all across the country, finding defense attorneys in your city or town shouldn’t be difficult. You can probably open up the phone book and find at least a dozen of them.

But finding a good defense attorney? That’s a different story! It’ll take a little bit more work on your part.

You can find a good defense attorney by taking one of these approaches:

Ask family members or friends who have been involved in criminal cases in the past if they can recommend a good lawyer.

Go online and read reviews left for different defense attorneys in your area.

Read your local newspaper and find out the names of defense attorneys that are mentioned most often. Just be careful about relying on this approach alone since the most well-publicized attorneys are also usually the most expensive.

Contact attorneys in your area directly and interview them about the services they can provide.

Locate a lawyer directory to gather as much information as you can about the attorneys you’re most interested in working with.

By using one of these approaches or some combination of several of them, you should be able to hire an attorney in no time.

What Qualities Does a Good Defense Attorney Have?

Regardless of how you choose to track down and hire an attorney, you should make sure they have certain qualities before you make them part of your legal team. You don’t want to hire just anyone to represent you in court.

Your defense attorney should have most of, if not all of, these qualities:

• Excellent communication skills
• Experience working on a variety of criminal court cases
• Great analytical skills
• Dedication to their craft
• Thorough researcher
• Creative thinker

If you find an attorney that encompasses all these qualities, you likely have someone who will work diligently on your behalf both inside and outside of the courtroom.

Is It Ever a Good Idea to Go to Court without an Attorney?

If the thought of spending several thousand dollars to hire an attorney sends shivers up your spine, you might be considering going to court to defend yourself without an attorney.

In theory, this might sound like a great idea, especially if you’re not all that confident that you’re going to be found not guilty. But there’s almost no chance that you’ll win your case if you don’t have the services of an attorney.

There are, unfortunately, millions of people who are forced to defend themselves in court every year due to their circumstances. But if you can avoid doing it, you should, by all means, get yourself a lawyer. The cost will be well worth it in the end.

Hire an Attorney for Your Criminal Case Today

Were you just accused of committing a crime? Whether you feel as though you’re guilty or not, you should spring into action right away and hire an attorney.

The sooner you can hire a defense attorney, the sooner they can start digging into your case and putting together a defense plan for you. It’ll take some of the stress of going to court off you and allow you to sit back and watch your case play out.

You should consider hiring a lawyer for more than just criminal cases. Read our blog to learn how to hire a divorce lawyer.