How Not to Hire an Attorney

If you have been charged with a crime then it is vitally important for you to seek legal representation that will be able to aggressively fight for your rights, your goals and your desires regarding the outcome of your case. The following are a few tips on how NOT to hire an attorney, consider these and then feel free to contact our firm for an initial case evaluation to discuss your case and how our firm can help you.

Bargain Shopping is Not a Bargain

First and foremost in hiring a lawyer: you get what you pay for. Just because a firm offers low fees, or little to no cost to you if they win, does not mean that it is a good idea to hire their services. There are many cases where individuals will call many attorneys, find out who quotes the lowest price and hire them. Often times, these results in a case that is irreparably damaged however there are some cases where our firm can pull together the pieces of this case and obtain a favorable outcome for our clients.

You should also be wary of excessive lawyer advertising. It is common for lawyers to advertise what they can do for you through mail and pop-up web pages; don't let the sheer volume of advertisement fool you. It is important for you to look for two main things when selecting a legal representative:

• Experience
• Service

Experience shows you that this attorney is not new to the practice and they have had years to refine their strategy and increase their skill. The second characteristic you should look for is their client service. Without being able to discuss with your representative your goals and desires, you will not be able to pursue these goals.

10 Reasons to Not Hire an Inexperienced Criminal Attorney

• They do not have the relationships with the prosecutor, judge and clerk that we have.
• They have not handled 1000’s of cases that we have handled and have seen it all.
• They are not familiar enough with how to preserve issues for appeal, should it come to that.
• They can cost you double the money if you are not happy with them and have to hire an attorney.
• They can cost you your freedom if they don’t effectively represent you in court or at trial.
• They can make crucial errors that cannot be undone. (i.e.. deportation, conviction, jail sentence)
• They can cause your case to take a lot longer than usual.
• They don’t have the vast resources that we have accumulated over our combined 40 years in practice (i.e.. motions, case law, briefs)
• They haven’t developed the deposition and trial skills that we have since being former state prosecutors and having litigated many cases.
• They are not well-trained to spot suppression of evidence issues, which could prevent your case from being dismissed.

Our firm is a skilled and experienced law firm with over 35 years of combined experience. We have successfully handled numerous cases in the past involving criminal defense and family law issues. If you are facing criminal charges then contact a Miami criminal defense attorney from Hager & Schwartz, P.A. to discuss your case and how our firm may help you. We are also intent on providing excellent client service through an initial case evaluation and extensive one-on-one personal attention throughout the duration of your case.