My wife Danielle and I first met at a mutual friend’s UGA game day party. She brought tomato sandwiches and – I knew I was in trouble when my mother and sister, who were also at the party, said “You’ve got to try these tomato sandwiches – they are the best”. Now of course when I actually met Danielle, my friends introduced me as a lawyer and along with some off-color lawyer jokes, they said “You can’t believe a word he says”. After, meeting Danielle, that day– the rest is history!
We knew each other for about two years until our actual first date. I like to tell people that she had to “chase me for two years” but it was really the other way around. We dated for two years and were engaged for a year. You see I was a bachelor for many years and I wanted to make sure I was ready to get married – and I only wanted to do it once. So we didn’t rush into it. While we dated and throughout our engagement we were the best of friends and our personalities synced. Much like a marriage finding the right lawyer has to be a good personality fit, someone you feel comfortable with and value their opinion. I have answered the 5 questions that someone should ask when hiring an attorney and I am sharing this information with you. Please read the answers, share them with your friends and family. Danielle and I hope that this will be helpful for anyone in need of an attorney.
- First of all, you must ask – “How many years has he practiced criminal law?” Of course, the longer the time – the more training and experience he will have. Ten years or more gives you a good probability that he will have specific legal knowledge to use in getting you the best outcome for your case. This specific knowledge not only relates to knowing the laws but also knowing the other lawyers, judges, and
how they operate,… and being able to figure out the best strategy for your case.
- Secondly, you must ask- “Does the attorney limit his practice to criminal law?” Do you want your attorney’s case load to include legitimizing a child, giving bankruptcy advice, handling divorces, child custody, real estate, wills and estates, probating estates and throw in for good measure-criminal defense. Obviously, you would rather be represented by an attorney who limits his practice to criminal defense.
- Third, you must ask – “How many trials has he handled?” Obviously, you would rather have someone who has tried a lot of cases, ideally 100 or more. A criminal lawyer with that level of experience is going to be better at such things as jury selection, negotiating reduced sentences, closing arguments, and a number of critical elements in a criminal case. You don’t want to get someone just out of law school! After all do you want a brain surgeon on his first operation or an experienced surgeon with many successful surgeries under his belt?
- Something else you want to know is “After reviewing your case, Can he give you specific issues on defenses in your case?” For Example: The officer failed to follow procedure in the administration of the HGN and Walk and Turn Field Sobriety Tests. Rather than- I’ll talk with the solicitor and see what we can work out!
- Last, but not least, you must ask, “Will he give you a flat fee price or charge an hourly rate which can go on forever?”
After a criminal defense lawyer does a thorough job of determining what kind of work is needed for your case, if he is experienced, he should be able to quote you a net price. After all, you want to know what it will cost you – without having to worry about an attorney who could drag things out to run up his fee!
Ok, so you’re probably wondering what my answers would be to the above questions. I’ll lay it out for you.
- As I mentioned I have over 16 years of experience in criminal defense in Georgia, — or in other words, I’ve been around the block a few times. I am a former prosecutor, having worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit. So, I understand how the other side thinks and acts. And let me tell you – this inside knowledge is a real edge in criminal defense.
- My practice is 100% criminal defense. I don’t spend my time fighting over who gets the table & chairs in a divorce, I spend my time aggressively defending clients in their criminal cases.
- Over the years, I have handled several hundred trials.
- After reviewing your case, I will tell you up front the specific defenses I believe are available to you! I’ll tell you what the officer did wrong-not just some good response like- I’ll talk to the prosecutor to see what we can do.
- After you share with me everything I need to know to analyze your case, you will receive a Flat Fee Guarantee from me to handle your case – so you will know how much it’s going to cost before I start. This way you will know that I’ll do a great job on your case in as short a time as possible.
You see, I’ll have no reason to drag things out because my fee won’t be based on the number of hours I work on your case. What that means to you is that you can get this stressful situation over with as soon as possible and get on with your life.
After all, isn’t that what you’re after – to improve your chances of getting the best outcome, being kept up to date, knowing what it will cost, and getting this handled so you can get on with the rest of your life!
