Ten Ways The Best Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help You

The criminal law is complicated – The Best Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help You
If you’ve been charged with a crime in Ohio, you want an experienced and well-connected criminal defense lawyer. Many are slow to hire a lawyer for a criminal case for a variety of reasons, whether fear of the cost or because they believe that they can handle the situation on their own. Don’t try to navigate the courts by yourself. An attorney has valuable knowledge that someone who doesn’t spend their days in the courthouse would never learn and can offer you more than you may think.

1. The best criminal defense lawyer will offer unbiased advice

Everyone wants honesty in situations where the stakes are high. You do not want false assurances, but the truth. A lawyer can give you a realistic assessment of the evidence against you and your odds for you to make the best decision for you.

2. The best criminal defense lawyer will examine possible outcomes and consider all options

No one wants to roll the dice without knowing all the odds. An attorney can evaluate your case and give you an honest assessment of what outcomes you are facing and how likely each may be.

3. The best criminal defense lawyer knows the law

You would think that every lawyer would know the law, but the law is so vast that is just not possible. Civil law is different from criminal law, every county has their own local rules, and every judge has preferences for how they run their courtrooms. It is never good when an attorney walks into a courtroom and upsets a judge because they failed to gather information on the way that judge conducts business.

4. The best criminal defense lawyer is familiar with the inner workings of the judicial system

This is your attorney’s day-to-day life. They spend many hours a week working with the judicial system and being at the courthouse. They know the court staff, how each judge runs court hearings, and where to get the best lunch while spending the day at the courthouse.

5. The best criminal defense lawyer has an existing relationship with the Prosecution

This is not a bad thing. An attorney with an existing relationship with the prosecution means that there is some measure of professional respect between them. While your attorney’s job is always to champion your interests, the prosecution may be more open to working with an attorney they know and have a good professional relationship with than an attorney they have never worked with before.

6. The best criminal defense lawyer has seen what you have been charged with before

This is not an experienced attorney’s first rodeo.  They’ve seen and defended the same charges before.   While every case is unique, each general type of case might have a set of strategies that most often work best.

7. The best criminal defense lawyer can help protect your future

Most defendants don’t fully consider the consequences of having a criminal conviction on their record.  Don’t risk your housing, job, or educational opportunities to a bad defense.

8. The best criminal defense attorney can assess law enforcement’s conduct

Law enforcement officers, like most people, aren’t perfect. They make mistakes, and if they made a mistake during your encounter with them, an attorney may be able to call attention to that in a way favorable to your case. A good attorney will spot these issues in your case.

9. The best criminal defense attorney can examine the evidence and handle unfriendly witnesses

A good criminal defense attorney is a skilled cross-examiner, able to control a reluctant or untruthful witness to bring out facts that help your case.  An attorney will know how to fight to keep out evidence that was not properly obtained or submitted to the court.

10. The best criminal defense lawyer can turn a losing case into an unorthodox win

There are many ways to win a case. Getting a case dismissed or charges dropped is a best-case scenario, but sometimes a win is walking out of court with a lesser amount of jail time than you were facing, or even none at all.  Even if you get convicted an attorney maybe be able to work with you to seal your record for the future.