A lot of the lesser Houston criminal defense lawyers like to say that everyone is the same and that all lawyers offer the same services. However, this is not true. If all lawyers were alike, everyone would be fine with taking the court appointed lawyer assigned to them. This rarely happens though for a good reason. Lawyers can be light years apart from each other in their specialties, their education, their background and even their record. As a result, you need to make sure to check out several lawyers before you decide on one that is going to represent you and your case.
Criminal defense is a very broad term. It simply means that a lawyer is able to defend you against criminal charges, as opposed to a lawyer that deals with divorce, bankruptcy or estates. But there are a lot of different Houston criminal defense lawyers out there and they all deal with different types of crimes. Some specialize in murder, other sex or hate crimes and others with theft and burglary. The last thing you want to do is hire a lawyer that doesn’t have the specialty in the crime you’ve been charged with because they aren’t going to be as familiar with the laws surrounding it as they should.
Another thing to consider is the education of the Houston criminal defense lawyers that you hire. Everyone has the ability to go to a different school. Some may have gone to a local law school while others went to an Ivy League school. Education is important and you may want to find out where someone went to school and what the record is for that school before you hire a lawyer. It can make a significant impact on how they conduct themselves in the courtroom.
Looking at the background of Houston criminal defense lawyers can tell you a lot about the lawyer that you’re about to hire. Find out what kinds of cases they have worked in the past and how long they’ve been in the legal industry. Just because you find an older lawyer doesn’t mean that they have the most experience. Many people decide to become lawyers older in life, so age is not always the surest sign of experience. You should also find out if they have been in criminal law throughout their career.
Finally, look at the record of the Houston criminal defense lawyers. Another reason that lawyers are not equal is because of the cases they have worked. In a courtroom, there are two lawyers – the defender and the prosecutor. When the verdict comes, only one lawyer can win. As a result, there are lawyers out there that have won more cases than they have lost. Those are the lawyers you want on your side because it shows that they have what it takes to collect helpful data and conduct themselves appropriately in the courtroom to get the necessary verdict for their clients in the courtroom. Doing a little homework on the lawyers in the area can go a long way to helping you walk free.