Consulting With a Criminal Defense Lawyer
How important is the initial consultation with a criminal defense attorney? Considering the extreme consequences you may face if you are not properly represented, it would be safe to say the consultation session is of critical importance.
Some might not think a consultation is important as long as they are hiring a high-profile attorney to represent them. They could simply find out who is the most well-known and established attorney in the local area and hire the attorney based on reputation. This could prove disastrous as it prescribes to a very common myth. That is, there is the belief that a high-profile lawyer will automatically deliver the outcome you desire.
You need to ask yourself a very serious question prior to prescribing to this myth:
Can you preordain a guaranteed acquittal in a criminal case if you have a very high-profile and highly expensive attorney representing you? The answer is, of course, no. There can be no guarantees possible regarding the outcome of any court proceeding criminal or civil. However, if you do have the right representation handling your case, you will be in a much better position than someone that lacks effective representation.
Also, it is worth pointing out that the most expensive legal representation may not automatically equate with the best representation. You do not want to hire an attorney based solely on how the attorney looks on paper or what his/her reputation would suggest. You will need to take the steps to hire a highly qualified and effective attorney that can properly represent you. This means you will need to set up a consultation with the attorney in order to determine if you are right for one another.
Seriously, you and your criminal defense attorney must gel with one another or else things might not bode well in terms of how your case proceeds. In a criminal case, a disappointing judgment could prove disastrous and have life changing consequences.
Again, this is why it is so important to set up an initial consultation session where you will be able to discuss the particulars of your case. This sets in motion your ability to gain the right representation since you can weigh your feelings on whether or not you are working with the right attorney.
During this initial consultation, you must be completely honest with the attorney. Holding back any information could prove highly counterproductive as misleading an attorney will undermine his/her ability to represent you properly. What would be the benefit to that? Not only would there be no benefit, the problems which could derive from withholding information from an attorney would be legion. Be forthcoming with your attorney. Any deviation from this suggestion would not be to your benefit in any way.
You will also need to answer the attorney’s question completely and distinctly. This will aid in the attorney’s ability to make effective determinations on how to proceed forward and what approach to take.
If the attorney’s opinions and advice are sound and logical, you may be best served following along with all recommendations put forth.