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What Makes a Good Criminal Defense Attorney?

By stladmin on April 29, 2021

After being arrested in Wyoming, you have to sit down and take a hard look at all of your options. Wyoming courts can issue severe penalties for seemingly minor offenses, and prosecutors like to aggressively pursue the harshest punishments. To avoid a long prison sentence and hefty court fines, you need to pick the right attorney to handle your case. But how do you pick a criminal defense lawyer?

Don’t Leave It to Chance – Experience Matters

You’ll probably hear “Every case is different!” when you reach out to attorneys, but the truth is that there is a certain routine to criminal trials. When a client is arrested, his defense attorney should carefully look over the details of the charges, look for weaknesses in the prosecution’s argument, and fight to get the charges reduced or dropped. If an attorney doesn’t have experience in a certain type of crime, then they will struggle to get up to speed on your case and plan your defense.

As you are researching an attorney, you should pay close attention to how long he has been practicing law, what areas he specializes in, and what types of cases he’s won before. Simply put, you wouldn’t trust an unlicensed handyman to handle a major renovation — so why would you trust your future to an average lawyer?

Hear What Old Clients Have to Say

Depending on what crime you are being charged with, you may have dozens of attorneys to choose from and not a lot of time to meet all of them. While a consultation (in person or by phone) allows you to ask about the attorney’s qualifications and capabilities, it may be easier, and faster, to see what other clients have to say.

Only two types of people leave reviews: people who are really angry with a service and people who are extremely satisfied. You should take some time to read old client testimonials on each attorney’s website, Google reviews, and Yelp, but there are also attorney-specific sites like Avvo, Nolo, and Lawyers.com that may have more information.

When looking through client reviews, make note of a few things:

• Did the attorney actually help the client?
• Did the client think the attorney was capable?
• Was the attorney good at communicating and honest?
• Did the attorney care about the client’s life and future?
• What negative things, if any, did the client have to say?

Do You Need One Lawyer or a Whole Team?

If you’re going on trial for a crime, it is better to have several brains on your side. You may not need a massive law firm to defend you, but working with a legal team may be a huge benefit to your case. Smaller, boutique firms often take on fewer cases and provide more time and attention to their clients. You may also get the experience and support of a paralegal, who will keep you up-to-date on your case’s status. When you pick a law firm to handle your defense, you will want to know that you are getting the expertise of not just one lawyer, but a full legal team.

Questions You Should Ask Your Attorney

When you sit down to talk to an attorney, it is important to have a few questions ready to make sure he or she is fully qualified to take on your case. The attorney will likely go over his or her experience, specialties, and fees, but you should not be afraid to ask:

• Have you handled cases similar to mine?
• What are my chances of going home free?
• What is your success rate?
• How many cases involve plea deals and how many do you take to trial?
• Do you have experience working in the local court where my trial will be held?
• What defenses can you use to help my situation?
• Is it easy to get ahold of you? Are you always available?
• Do you believe you can win my case?

Trust in Experience, Knowledge, and Dedication

Here at Steven Titus & Associates, P.C., our Gillette criminal defense lawyers have years of experience fighting for the people of Campbell County and standing up for their freedom. We have successfully won many cases involving drug charges, DUIs, sexual assault allegations, and murder, and helped multiple clients enter diversion programs instead of going to jail.

If you bring your case to us, you will not just have our expertise at your disposal, but also our dedication. Previous clients have described us as attentive, compassionate, and hard-working. Our trial attorneys can comb over every detail in your case and look over every scrap of evidence to get you the best deal possible. Trust us to fight for your future.

Call Steven Titus & Associates, P.C., after an arrest at (307) 257-7800 to get a free case strategy session.