When you’re looking for a Houston criminal defense attorney, you need to make sure you hire one that knows what they’re doing and are extremely confident that they can win your case because your life may depend upon it. If you’ve been charged with a crime, you’re going to need someone to defend you in the courtroom against the prosecutor. You don’t want just anyone sitting next to you, so there are a few questions you should ask the attorneys that you interview before you make the decision to hire one over another.
One of the first things that you should be asking about your Houston criminal defense attorney is what type of cases they have represented in the past. There are a lot of different crimes that one can commit and you need to make sure that your attorney has had experience representing people that have been charged with the same type of crime as you have. Whether it’s theft, sex crimes, murder or anything else, the experience that your lawyer has will be incredibly useful for you to win your case. Without the experience, it’s impossible to say whether your attorney will be able to navigate successfully through all of the laws for you to come out on top.
Another thing you want to ask your Houston criminal defense attorney is about their success rate on cases. Every lawyer keeps track of how many cases they have won and lost. It’s just like a football team keeping track of their record for the season. They always know the answer but it’s a matter of whether they will share the results openly with you or not. Any attorney that isn’t forthcoming with this information probably doesn’t have a very good success rate, which should tell you something about the lawyer that you want to hire. Keep looking until you find one that has one more cases than they’ve lost.
You also need to ask the question about fees. Some lawyers will charge you by the hour while others will charge you based upon the case. If you find a Houston criminal defense attorney that’s going to charge you by the hour, get an idea as to what this will entail. You want to avoid lawyers that will nickel and dime you because at the end of the day, you will need to pay the bill. Not all lawyers in Houston charge the same amount, so you need to find out what the rates are before you hire someone.
Every Houston criminal defense attorney is a little different. The only way that you can truly choose the right person to represent you is to ask questions. Every lawyer has a free consultation with their potential clients, so take advantage of this time. Write down a list of questions and don’t leave until they’re all answered. The attorney you hire will be trying to keep you out of jail and keep your record clean, so it’s important that you take your time to choose the best one.