As with any profession, there are many different types of criminal attorneys out there. There are the ones that are really good and there are the ones that are not so good. The problem, though, is that it is hard to tell a really good criminal attorney from a not so good one after just one meeting. I mean, after all, if they just say the right things they could fool you into believing they know what they are talking about right?
So, how do you combat that? How do you try to ferret out the good ones from the not so good ones? All it takes is one simple question. Want to know what it is? Here we go.
Does your fee include a trial if we need it?
That’s it. Pretty simple. And one you might be asking anyway. But the answer is going to tell you a lot about who the criminal lawyer is and how they operate in their practice. Here’s why.
First, if your lawyer is worth his or her salt, they work your case up like it’s going to trial no matter if it going to trial or not. That’s how good plea deals are struck. Through investigation your attorney should be able to find some things that are wrong with the case, and if they use those inconsistencies correctly they should be able to leverage those with the prosecutor to get you a good deal.
Second, a classic scam some criminal attorneys run is to have you sign up and then pay more if the case goes to trial. The way they sell it to you is “if we don’t have to go to trial you save a lot of money.” Guess what, you aren’t going to trial. And you know why? That attorney is going to want a significant amount of money to go to trial. And he knows that you are going to have to decide with parting with your money or taking the deal that’s on the table (even if you don’t want it). 9 times out of 10 people take the deal – they simply can’t afford the additional fee.
For me, a Seattle criminal lawyer, I charge a one time, flat fee, for all of my services. If the case is resolved early, it’s still the same price – but you’ve received the benefit of our bargain because it is likely my expertise that got the case where it was. And, if we need to go to trial, we go. No extra money. No extra pressure. We just do it. And we do it to win.
So, if you’re having a difficult time picking the right criminal lawyer for you, ask this question and see what their reaction is. It will tell you a lot about how they actually operate.
