When to Hire a Connecticut Attorney

Understanding the criminal justice process can help you be aware of a charge that is brought against you. Also, it can help you understand how to fight such a charge. If you are being charged with a criminal offense, you should retain a Connecticut criminal defense lawyer.

However, understanding at what point to retain such a lawyer in the process of your case is not always easy. You might wonder if it would be best to hire a lawyer as soon as possible. Or, you might wonder if you should wait until after you are arrested, or until your case goes to trial. Knowing when to hire a criminal defense lawyer can help you fight what you have been charged with.

Investigation

In general, the first step in the criminal justice process is an investigation carried out by police officers. In some cases, there will be no time to hire a criminal defense lawyer during the investigation. This could consist of something as simple as a police officer observing a drug deal and making an arrest.

However, in some cases, the investigation can be much more involved. For example, an investigation to build evidence could last for months. This is because of the need to collect forensic evidence or question witnesses. If you know that there is an ongoing investigation against you, you should hire a criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible in order to prepare for the potential of an arrest and a subsequent charge. If you are arrested, this means that the police have probable cause against you. Also, if you have already hired a criminal defense lawyer or hire one once you are arrested, your lawyer could try to fight the police officer’s claim that they have probable cause.

Arraignment

If you have not hired a lawyer by the time you are arrested, you should definitely hire one at the arraignment stage. This is the stage in the criminal justice process where you are formally charged in court. At this point, you need to make a plea of guilty or not guilty. You should have an attorney for this part of the process because you should discuss a strategy for your case with an experienced attorney before making a plea. In addition, you could negotiate a plea bargain, in which case you would want to have a lawyer present. 

The bottom line is that you should retain a criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. Finding the right lawyer can also take time, so you should start the process immediately. If you want to hire a lawyer to help you through your case, they should have all of the facts as soon as possible in order to build a strong case for you.

The Right Lawyer

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to just hire a criminal defense lawyer and be done with it. Not all criminal defense lawyers are the same. Some are incredible, but some are mediocre. Some are affordable, while others are expensive. Fortunately, there is one way that you can sort through lawyers at absolutely no cost to you. This is due to free initial consultations, offered by most criminal defense lawyers.

Lawyers understand that hiring someone to represent you in court is a big decision. For this reason, many lawyers offer a free consultation. At the consultation, you can meet with a lawyer and discuss your case. At this time, you can explain the situation that you are in to the lawyer and ask any questions that you have. A good lawyer will be interested in your case and start planning out a strategy for your case during this initial consultation.

If you want to know how experienced the lawyer that you are meeting with is, ask them about cases that they have worked on in the past. Ask about cases that they have won and if they have worked on cases similar to yours. If the lawyer says something like, “I’ve been practicing criminal law for several years, I’ve worked on and won many cases like yours (with specific examples) and this is how I would defend your case,” that lawyer probably has the knowledge and experience to represent you well.

Consultations

Another great thing about free consultations is that you can ask about the lawyer’s fee when you are face-to-face. If you meet with a lawyer and they don’t give you a straight answer or says something like, “We can discuss fees later,” be careful. You don’t want to get stuck paying any hidden fees. If you meet with a lawyer that is upfront about costs, they probably won’t have any hidden fees and you can get a pretty good idea if you can afford their services or not.

Some lawyers are also flexible about payments and payment methods. If a lawyer is passionate about working on your case, they might work with you to make sure that you can afford to hire them. You want to try to find a lawyer that charges a flat rate, as this means that you won’t have to pay by the hour. Instead, you just pay one fee for the whole process. This can cut down on costs tremendously.

Take advantage of free consultations. This will allow you to shop around until you find the lawyer that can best represent you for the most affordable price. Following these tips can ensure that you get the best defense possible for your case. Next time, we will cover experienced criminal defense lawyers in Connecticut.

Criminal Defense Lawyers

You need a lawyer that knows criminal law like the back of their hand. A lawyer that can rattle off criminal laws and court rulings like a teenaged boy rattles off baseball statistics. A lawyer that eats, sleeps, and breathes criminal law. Hiring a lawyer like this is your best bet for winning your case or getting minimum punishments. You’re only going to find a lawyer with this much experience, knowledge, and passion, if they specialize in criminal defense.

No one plans to be the defendant in a criminal case. For this reason, you will probably feel overwhelmed and might be concerned about paying too much money to retain a criminal defense lawyer. But when faced with such serious charges and potential penalties, you need to do whatever you can to win your case. To get the best defense, you should contact a criminal defense lawyer.

You want to hire a criminal defense lawyer because these lawyers “eat, sleep, and breathe criminal defense.” This is certainly true for Ruane Attorneys. We primarily work on criminal defense cases, which means that we are highly knowledgeable and experienced in criminal law. Our firm has over twenty combined years of experience. We have seen all kinds of criminal cases and strive to defend our clients to the best of our abilities.