A criminal case is like no other. Unlike civil matters, the stakes are usually very high. Most times, the liberty of an individual is on the line, either for a limited period of time or indefinitely in the case of lifetime sentences. The important point here is that a criminal case should not be taken lightly. It is thus very important to engage a criminal defense attorney. However, not all attorneys will afford a person good representation. An accused person must ensure that he/she is represented by a competent criminal lawyer. What then is the criterion to be used by persons in the selection of a good criminal defense attorney Orange County?
First, you need to analyze the credentials of the legal practitioner. How many cases has he/she handled? And what was the outcome in the cases? Truth be told, it is practically impossible for a criminal defense attorney to win all cases assigned to him/her. But be that as it may, the general pattern of a criminal litigator must be analyzed before entrusting the question of your liberty to him/her. If a criminal legal practitioner has established a pattern of losing most or all of his/her cases, you might not want to be privy to the negative statistics. The point is; ensure you get a lawyer who generally wins cases. How do you confirm this? Well, you exercise due diligence.
Second, an attorney who has specialized in criminal matters should be preferred over other general practitioners. This is because of the simple reason that a person whose efforts are largely confined to a particular line of work is more likely to have garnered the requisite exposure and hence the risk of failure is minimized. But be careful to analyze this factor in light of the first point because a person may be an expert in doing the wrong thing over and over again.
Third, a good criminal defense attorney Orange County must be someone who upholds integrity. Whereas the temptation to want to obtain an acquittal by all means is understandable, do not fall into the trap of hiring a person whose moral and professional credentials are wanting. Persons who are very keen on cutting corners do not make good lawyers. Such persons may easily lead you out of the frying pan onto the fire on account of their malpractices.
Other salient features of a good criminal defense attorney include diligence, zeal and other indicators of brilliance. An accused person should exercise his/her right to legal representation with a lot of discretion because a bad attorney can even spoil an otherwise good case; and vice versa. It is important for clients to also report incidents of malpractices and ethical flaws to the authorities to protect the noble legal profession.
