The Need to Hire a Criminal Lawyer

Most law-abiding citizens will never have any run-ins with the law. However, there are some circumstances when even an innocent person can wind up behind bars. Fortunately, the legal system in the United States gives everyone the right to legal counsel when they are facing criminal charges. Unfortunately, these public-assistance lawyers sometimes cannot provide adequate counsel. Hiring a criminal lawyer is many times the best option, especially for those facing serious criminal charges.

A criminal lawyer's job is to work on behalf of their client, who has been charged with a crime. The lawyer's main goal is to help their client avoid jail time. This can be done by either having the charges dropped, or by getting an acquittal if the case must go to trial. However, in many circumstances, the lawyer will negotiate a plea bargain, which can help the client serve less time in jail or avoid jail altogether. Public defenders are the lawyers hired by the U.S. legal system to defend those who have been charged with a crime, but cannot afford a lawyer to represent them in court. Although these lawyers have the same training and qualifications as a hired criminal lawyer, a public defender is often overwhelmed with other clients. Therefore, they cannot fairly represent their clients the same way a hired lawyer can. Many times, these clients cannot consult with their public defender until they day they are scheduled to be in court. As a result, the client may not understand the charges they are facing or the evidence against them. This is especially detrimental to those who are facing serious criminal charges that could land them in jail for a long time. Sometimes the cost of hiring a criminal lawyer is priceless if it means that their client can avoid jail time.

Unlike a personal injury lawyer, a criminal lawyer expects payment from their client before working on their behalf. This is because a criminal lawyer has different goals for their client, and fulfilling these goals requires extensive research and interviews with other people and law enforcement officials involved with the case. For instance, a criminal lawyer will obtain any evidence associated with the case, such as police reports, surveillance videos, and witness interviews. These lawyer's fees insure that the hired lawyer is dedicating all of their time to one case at a time, which makes it more likely that their client will find a favorable result in their case. Public defenders are typically given several cases, at one time, which makes it difficult to provide the same type of evidence to prove their client's innocence.