Your selection of a criminal defense attorney may be critically important to your case and whether
you spend unnecessary years in prison. Strategies and styles can vary widely and could potentially
affect the outcome. His or her experience, intuition, connections and knowledge
might make
a big difference.
When seeking a criminal defense lawyer, we recommend that you try finding
someone belonging to professional associations beyond the Bar, organizations like the
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Ten times a year their membership receives
the Champion, which offers
"timely, informative articles written for and by criminal defense lawyers, featuring
the latest developments in search and seizure laws, DUI/DWI, grand jury proceedings,
habeas, the exclusionary rule, death penalty, RICO, federal sentencing guidelines,
forfeiture, white-collar crime, and more." It would be difficult for someone who practices
criminal defense, to stay abreast of these issues apart from a nurturing organization.
If you think your case is complicated,
or has a stiff potential consequence, perhaps talking to two or three criminal defense lawyers would be wise before
selecting one. Feel free to ask questions. Many criminal defense lawyers are former prosecutors. That qualification may well benefit you.
We recommend that you read the following two articles:
How to Select a Criminal Defense Attorney
Selecting, Hiring and Working with a Lawyer
Keep in mind that in most cases, fees charged by criminal defense attorneys are negotiable. Your lawyer
runs a business - it just happens to be a law office. Whatever his or her fee quote, feel free to make
a counter offer. If done tactfully, NH lawyers rarely object.
Be careful though,
the cheapest lawyer isn't always the best.
To get an idea of how fellow attorneys rate each other,
consult
Martindale-Hubbell and to interpret
the information see their
explanation page.
