A criminal defense attorney can mean the difference between winning a case and losing one. It’s therefore imperative that you find a good defense attorney to represent you in your case.
No one wants to be accused of an offense; however, if you are, or if someone close to you is, then you’ll need a good lawyer to take on the case. This begs the question, what makes a good criminal defense lawyer? To answer this question, here are top five attributes of a good defense lawyer:
Ensures that your constitutional rights are protected
Right from the start, regardless of payment, or your guilt or innocence, an excellent criminal defense lawyer will take measures to make sure that your constitutional rights are protected, and that you receive fair and humane treatment from the justice system. This does not mean that things will be flawless or that all decisions from your first court appearance are going to be in your favor – it’s often not the case, especially if you are facing serious charges.
However, the defense attorney, irrespective of your crime, is going to fight tooth and nail on your behalf – and should be evident they are – even when the decisions by judges, probation officials, and prosecutors don’t reflect their efforts immediately.
Has good reputation
Like prosecutors, judges, police officers and probation officers, criminal defense attorneys are “recurrent players” in the criminal court system. Often, competent criminal defense attorneys have a working relationship with the prosecutor and a level of familiarity with other recurrent players, which is great because if the lawyer has a good reputation for being passionate, ethical and competent, they’ll be in a better place to negotiate and represent you.
Doesn’t judge you
Good criminal defense lawyers don’t care if you are actually guilty of the crime you are being accused of. Many defendants want their lawyers; the same way they want everybody else, to believe that they did not do what they are being accused of. However, a good criminal defense attorney will treat you with dignity and respect no matter the charges being levied against you. Good attorneys, like ones from the Colorado Legal Defense Group, don’t focus on whether you are guilty or innocent; instead, they fight to protect your constitutional rights by using all available resources and energy according to the law.
Doesn’t accept what’s in prosecution and police reports
A good criminal defense attorney won’t place judgments based on the prosecution and police reports. As soon as they get the case, they work together with trained criminal investigators to get to the bottom of the allegations. The lawyer will demand that the prosecutor turn over the “discovery” about the case, gather records, go to the crime scene, talk to witnesses, hire experts, take statements, secure relevant pictures, and video footage, serve subpoenas and so on.
Remind you to remain silent
A good criminal defense attorney will urge and remind you to exercise your Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, and not to respond to any questions from anyone, except the investigator and defense attorney, about the charges. They will also meet and talk with you about your case regularly to ensure you are up to date.
