The Six “C’s” For Choosing The Best Criminal Lawyer To Represent You
Whether your case is a driving infringement or serious allegation, the TGB criminal law team writes about how to choose the right criminal lawyer.
Whether your case is a driving infringement or serious allegation, the TGB criminal law team writes about how to choose the right criminal lawyer.
When you or someone you know is charged with a crime, selecting the right lawyer for the case can be a difficult decision. Criminal charges can bring immense stress in all areas of a person’s life including with family, professionally and financially. A criminal conviction can have an effect on various aspects of a person’s life including certain insurance policies, overseas travel and employment prospects. Choosing the right lawyer will greatly increase your chance of getting the best result. This is true whether your case is a driving infringement, a fraud case or a murder allegation.
The following is a list of some of the things to look for when choosing a Criminal lawyer:
1. Communication: A huge part of a criminal lawyer’s job is talking to and negotiating with people including prosecutors, judges and witnesses. The majority of criminal matters usually resolve by way of a plea of guilty to a lesser or alternative charge. For that reason, you should be confident that your lawyer can communicate and negotiate. If your criminal lawyer can explain to you the law, process and likely outcomes in an articulate way, then that same coherent message is likely to be able to be translated into their presentation to prosecutors, witnesses and judges.
2. Current: The law is ever changing. Your lawyer needs to keep up to date with new cases and changes to legislation. It is crucial that your criminal lawyer remains current with developments in the law.
3. Creativity: A criminal lawyer’s job in many ways involves solving problems. An amount of creativity is often required to identify issues and devise a legal approach towards the solving of a legal problem. Your criminal lawyer should have a clear direction of the path your case should take in order for it to resolve with the best outcome for you.
4. Courtesy: This attribute may seem unusual but is something which is often overlooked. Although you have been charged with a criminal offence, your lawyer does not have to represent you in a confrontational and hostile way. Your lawyer needs to be persuasive which is not achieved through anger and intimidation. Your criminal lawyer can fight relentlessly for you whilst still respecting and being courteous to the other parties.
5. Confidence: There are no certainties in the law. Many issues that arise in a criminal matter fall within a grey area. For that reason, your criminal lawyer needs to be able to confidently assess risks and balance the value of certain approaches in order to achieve the best outcome for you. Your criminal lawyer’s confidence will steer them through the obstacles of your criminal matter. Your criminal lawyer’s confidence should put you at ease.
6. Candour: A good criminal lawyer will be candid with you. Your criminal lawyer should not be afraid to give you the truth about the inconsistencies or weaknesses in your version of events. If your criminal lawyer doubts your story, then so may a jury. If your criminal lawyer is worried about hurting your feelings, then they will compromise their advice to you. You should look for a criminal lawyer that will tell you their views – even if their views are opposed to yours. You should be weary of a criminal lawyer that agrees with everything you say and is not willing to be frank with you about your case.
Depending on your case, your choice of legal representation could very well be a life altering decision. You should do some research to ensure that you are getting the best possible representation for your particular criminal case.