Choosing a Criminal Defense Attorney

Trust

Trust is probably the single most important factor in choosing a criminal defense lawyer to represent you. Also, you want someone who is honest, listens, and cares about you and your case.

Do I like him?

All things being equal, I do business with people I like. Take your time and talk with the lawyer in person. See if he looks you in the eye, shakes your hand firmly, and makes you feel at ease. If you can't meet him in person, go with your gut feeling after speaking with him on the phone. If you don't feel comfortable, go on to the next one.

Price

Price is probably one of the worst criteria to choose the right criminal defense attorney for you. You get what you pay for. If a lawyer is cheap, there's a reason. Especially with your freedom, you don't want to have the cheapest lawyer representing you.

Experience

Experience is a factor. You certainly want a lawyer to have some criminal defense experience. Many excellent criminal defense attorneys have a lot of experience. However, an experienced criminal lawyer might also be a horrible lawyer. You don't want to be stuck with a horrible, yet experienced, lawyer. Your freedom is in his hands. Some older, yet experienced, lawyers may not be up for the fight. Jury trials require a criminal lawyer to be on his toes all the time, have knowledge of criminal procedure, case law, jury instructions, know when to make objections and when to shut up.

Communication

A great criminal defense lawyer listens and gives you straightforward answers to your questions. Also, he must memorize vast amounts of material, condense it and then effectively communicate it to the jury. The lawyer must speak plain language to be an effective communicator. Many lawyers use big words that some people don't understand. That's not communicating. That is being arrogant and ignorant.

Guarantees

Beware of lawyers that guarantee a particular result. While you understandably would want a guarantee as to the outcome, it is unethical for any lawyer to do so. The only thing I guarantee is that I will do everything in my power (both legally and ethically) to fight the criminal charges against you.

Low-Volume Practice

Does the lawyer have the time to devote to your case? I have a low-volume practice, so I can give clients the individualized attention that they deserve. I don't send out mailers to people who get arrested. If you've been arrested, you know exactly what I am talking about. You probably got 50 or more solicitations from lawyers, some of them not even criminal defense lawyers, who want your money. I do not send out direct mail solicitations. Why? I do not like receiving direct mail, so I'm not going to send you any. My clients are people who do not respond to direct mail. They are more astute. Most of my clients are referrals from other lawyers and former clients.

When I was a former assistant public defender in Palm Beach county, I handled over 1,000 cases. Typically, I handled 50 to over 100 cases at a time. It is difficult to work cases up like they should be worked up with such a high-volume. Unfortunately, the legislature has determined that spending money to hire more assistant public defenders is not high on their priority list. Some private lawyers have associates that do all the work on their cases. That enables them to be a high-volume practice and make more money. It is impossible for me to be in two places at the same time. Sometimes, I have another lawyer stand in for me, but only to reset the case to when I can be there. When you hire me, you get me.

Criminal Trial Lawyer

You want a lawyer who takes cases to trial and doesn't charge extra for it. Many lawyers that call themselves trial lawyers have not tried a case in front of a jury in years. I have tried over 100 jury and non-jury trials to verdict.

Continuing Legal Education

You deserve a lawyer who keeps up with changes in the law. The Florida Bar requires lawyers to have 30 continuing legal education credits every three years. Every year, I exceed the required amount of CLE credits. I have almost three times the required amount of CLE credits for the last three years. I even teach other lawyers about special jury instructions at conferences like the national NORML (www.norml.org) conference in Key West, Florida.

Only Practices Criminal Defense

You want a lawyer who practices exclusively in the area of criminal defense.

Passionate

You deserve a lawyer who is passionate about his work. To some lawyers, their career is just a job. It is a way to pay the mortgage. I have a mortgage to pay as well. However, I wake up every day looking forward to defending the bill of rights and the Constitution. I love my career. If I won the lottery, I would still practice criminal defense. No kidding.

You are still reading? Ok, I will tell you what my grandpa Paps used to tell me. Paps was a decorated World War II veteran who stormed the beaches at Normandy. I lived with my grandparents when I was a teenager and learned a great deal from them. Anyway, Paps always told me "When I was in the military, they taught us - you have to tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em, then tell 'em, and then tell 'em what you told 'em." So here it is:

Trust

Trust is probably the single most important factor in choosing a criminal defense lawyer to represent you in criminal court. Also, you want someone who is honest, listens, and cares about you and your case.