When you’re charged with a criminal offense, your future hangs in the balance. You may be facing a lengthy jail or prison sentence, fines that could be financially crippling, and the stigma of a criminal record that can affect your job or career and other aspects of your life. It’s important that the criminal defense lawyer you entrust with your case — and your future — is the right person to represent you.
You might think you should go with the person with the cheapest rates, or who has commercials on TV, or who is the first one you find on Google. However, a low fee or splashy ads may not necessarily add up to you getting the best results in your case.
We offer these guidelines as you consider hiring a Michigan criminal attorney to represent you.
Important Qualities in a Criminal Defense Lawyer
Experience and thorough knowledge of the law and the criminal court process are important factors when it comes to hiring a lawyer, but they’re not the only factors you should consider. It’s also important that the lawyer you hire is a good fit — someone who has the kind of personality and professional demeanor that you want presenting on your behalf in court, and who will communicate what’s happening with your case in a way that makes sense to you.
Some important qualities to look for in a good Michigan criminal attorney include:
Aggressive Advocacy
When you face a criminal charge, you need a lawyer who will do everything possible to get you the best possible outcome when your freedom is on the line. You want someone who will fight for you and do what’s in your best interest, and who will be willing to take your case to trial and tell your side of the story to a jury. However, it’s also important for your lawyer to be aggressive early in the process and try to get your charge dismissed or withdrawn without the stress and uncertainty of a trial.
At Davis Law Group PLLC, we often are able to get criminal charges resolved in the early stages of a case so that our clients can return to their lives and leave their legal troubles behind them. Every case is different, and the outcome of a particular case depends on a lot of different factors. But the bottom line is that we will work diligently for you to get you the best outcome possible.
Strong Experience
The lawyer you hire should have the right experience to handle the criminal offense with which you’ve been charged. For example, someone who practices primarily divorce law may not be the best person to handle a criminal charge because it’s not what they do every day.
When you face a criminal charge, you need a lawyer who works with criminal cases every day. You need someone who knows the law enforcement agencies, the prosecutors, the judges, the court clerks, and other people who might be involved in your case. A good lawyer knows the law, but also has experience with local court rules and procedures, and how your type of case is likely to be handled.
At Davis Law Group PLLC, we have years of experience in criminal prosecutions as well as defense. We understand all facets of the process, including how police and prosecutors build criminal cases. We put that knowledge to work for you in building a defense strategy that anticipates the prosecution’s arguments and how they’ll use evidence.
