Make Sure You Get the Best Criminal Defense

If you're in trouble with the law, your knee-jerk inclination might be to hire the first criminal defense lawyer you can find in a telephone book. Depending on the severity of the crime and your personal background, the need to find a lawyer and do it fast could absolutely be present. But, going with just anyone is not the best way to hire a criminal defense lawyer. It's important to make sure you hire someone who is not only competent, but also a person you can and will work with.

A good Manhattan criminal defense lawyer will want your case to be handled as a team effort. He or she will need to rely on input from you as much as possible. He or she will also need to be able to develop a good rapport with you to ensure the case is handled in the best possible manner to obtain a good or at least fair outcome. Inasmuch, it's vital that you and your lawyer have not only an ability to talk with each other, but also trust each other on a basic level. This will be particularly vital not only if you're innocent of the charges, but maybe even more so if you're guilty.

Considering the importance of a working relationship with a criminal defense lawyer, it's very important to make sure there's at least a face-to-face meeting before you hire the person. What you'll be able to find out if you do a personal interview is a whole lot.

We serve the following areas in Manhattan:

Manhattan · Alphabet City · Astor Row · Battery Park City · Bowery · Carnegie Hill · Chelsea · Chinatown · Civic Center · Columbus Circle · Cooperative Village · Diamond District · East Village · Ellis Island · Financial District · Five Points · Flatiron District · Garment District · Governors Island · Gramercy Park · Greenwich Village · Hamilton Heights · Harlem · Hell’s Kitchen · Herald Square · Hudson Heights · Hudson Yards · Inwood · Kips Bay · Koreatown · Lenox Hill · Le Petit Senegal · Liberty Island · Lincoln Square · Little Germany · Little Italy · Loisaida · Lower East Side · Lower Manhattan · Madison Square · Manhattan Valley · Manhattanville · Marble Hill · Marcus Garvey Park · Meatpacking District · Midtown Manhattan · Morningside Heights · Murray Hill · NoHo · Nolita · Peter Cooper Village · Polo Grounds · Radio Row · Randall’s Island · Roosevelt Island · Rose Hill · San Juan Hill · SoHo · South Street Seaport · South Village · Spanish Harlem · Strivers’ Row · Stuyvesant Town · Sugar Hill · Sutton Place · Tenderloin · Theatre District · Times Square · TriBeCa · Tudor City · Turtle Bay · Two Bridges · Union Square · Upper East Side · Upper Manhattan · Upper West Side · Ward’s Island · Washington Heights · Waterside Plaza · West Village · Yorkville

Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney

Before hiring any criminal defense attorney in Queens, you need to do the following things:

* Shop around. Don't just look at fee structures. If you're innocent, you need to prove that no matter the cost. The consequences of doing otherwise can be monumental. Especially in the midst of a legal matter it may seem like you have no time to shop around, but it's precisely at this time you must be picky and deliberate about who you hire.

* Find an attorney you can talk with. If you don't like the person representing you or at least cannot communicate with him or her, you have a problem. Be certain the person you hire is one you can clearly communicate your side of the case to.

* Check the criminal defense lawyer's background. Has this person been to trial before? Did he or she win? How many times? What certifications and memberships does he or she have? What's the overall success versus failure track record?

* Has the attorney handled cases like yours before? This can make a big difference. Criminal law is different from tax law by a long shot and going to trial is a very different experience than settling out of court in a civil suit. Get the best expert in the area you need expertise in.

We serve the following areas:

Queens · Arverne · Astoria · Bayside · Bayside Hills · Belle Harbor · Bellerose · Bellerose Harbor · Bellerose Manor · Bellrs Manor · Breezy Point · College Point · Corona · Douglaston · East Elmhurst · Elmhurst · Floral Park · Flushing · Forest Hills · Fresh Meodows · Glen Oaks · Hollis · Howard Beach · Jackson Heights · Laurelton · Little Neck · Maspeth · Middle Village · Ozone Park · Queens Village · Rego Park · Richmond Hills · Rockaway Beach · · Z Ozone Park · S Richmond · Saint Albans · South Ozone Park · Springfield Gardens · Whitestone · Woodside · Rosedale · Woodhaven

No Compromise for Criminal Defense

Hiring trial attorneys to handle a criminal defense in New York or other serious legal matters should not be a process that's taken lightly. The lawyer or lawyers you hire could very well have your life in their hands. So, if proving your case and doing it well is a priority (and why wouldn't it be) than getting the best is a must.

Almost every week there's a report somewhere about a person who was falsely accused and convicted on criminal charges. A good attorney can help ensure his or her clients don't add to the statistics. Good attorneys know how to handle trials inside out and backwards and they fight tirelessly to see that justice is served on behalf of their clients. If proving your innocence is a must, then finding the best lawyer is key.

No matter how compelling your case is or how well you can prove your innocence, the justice system isn't perfect. Mistakes happen. Good criminal defense attorneys can minimize the chances for this.

Our Firm Currently Provides Full Legal Services in the Following Boroughs of New York:

Brooklyn · Bath Beach · Bay Ridge · Bensonhurst · Bergen Beach · Borough Park · Brighton Beach · Brooklyn Heights · Caharise · Coney Island · Ditmas Park · Ditmas Park West · Downtown Brooklyn · Dyker Heights · Flatbush · For Hamilton · Fulton Ferry · Gowanus · Gravesend · Greenpoint · Greenwood Heights · Manhattan Beach · Manhattan Terrace · Mill Basin · Mill Island · Ocean Hill · Park Slop · Prospect Lefferts Garden · Prospect Heights · Prospect Park South · Sea Gate · Sheepshead Bay · Souther Park Slope · Sunset Park · Williamsburg

Benefits of Your Criminal Defense Lawyer

If you are in the unfortunate position of being charged with a criminal offense, it is essential that you retain good Brooklyn criminal defense lawyers immediately to preserve your rights. There are many factors that go into a criminal charge, and your defense law firm will have specialist attorneys and staff that are experienced and who can dig deep into any factor that is part of your case.

Criminal charges may be brought against a person for many reasons, from DWI/DUI traffic violations, drug offenses, white collar crimes, and personal injury cases such as assault, theft, or sex crimes. These crimes can involve incarceration and felony charges, and you would need an aggressive defense to reduce or eliminate them on your behalf.

Brooklyn Criminal defense lawyers know the US laws pertaining to these serious charges and can help you. If violence is involved, or threat of violence, or even a hint to cause harm, you could find yourself locked behind bars for years. Criminal charges can be brought for crimes against a person, or a business, or for theft from a person or business. Larceny, robbery, and burglary penalties can vary according to the value of items involved. An aggressive defense is required to defend yourself against unfair charges and extreme sentences.

Much has been in the news lately about white collar crimes, and the damages caused by internal sabotage, insider trading, fraud, computer crimes and embezzlement. What a person may think only hurts a business can actually harm many more humans in the process. A trial for these matters also demands an aggressive defense against harsh sentences.

For drug offenses, unlawful possession, sale, or use of banned substances can result in jail time. Growing, manufacturing, or making narcotics will have similar penalties. These crimes can put you away for decades, as they are serious offenses. Each case is different, but your experienced group of Brooklyn criminal defense lawyers can sort out the details to help you in court and on appeals.

Points to a Good Criminal Defense Lawyer

4. Consider the effects of a criminal case on a person's profession, or future profession:

Many convictions can result in the loss of business or professional licenses. Any trade that requires a state license, including hairdressers, nurses, landscapers, and many others, will be in jeopardy if you face criminal charges. Knowing what you are able to accept as part of a plea bargain, or if you are able to plea bargain at all, is critical to making the right choice in your case.
5. Remember confidentiality:

It is important for a criminal lawyer to understand the privacy of the client. This is especially so when dealing with family members of the person charged with a crime. Family may mean well when asking questions, but unless the client authorizes the attorney to talk about it, anything said about the case should remain private and confidential.

6. Consider any immigration consequences:

Anyone who is not a citizen must be especially careful when facing criminal charges. Any conviction or even an admission without entry of a judgment, can result in deportation, exclusion from re-admission or denial of citizenship. This is unfortunately a highly misunderstood area of the law by many criminal lawyers.

7. Communication with the client:

Part of why a person hires a criminal lawyer is to understand what is happening in the case as it goes along. A criminal defense attorney must talk about it with the client on a regular basis.

8. Investigation:

In most cases the client should allow the criminal defense attorney to hire an investigator to interview witnesses. If the police did it to gather evidence against you, why wouldn't you want to do it in your own defense. It costs money but it would be "penny wise and pound foolish" to skimp on this part of your defense - that is, unless you agree with the police version of the facts.

9. Legal research and motions:

Any Brooklyn criminal defense attorney must be sure to understand the "elements" of an offense, that is, what the prosecutor has to try to prove in order to get a conviction. Many times the prosecution cannot do it, but you wouldn't know it unless you looked at the precise elements. Also many searches resulting in police finding drugs or other contraband are illegal and should be challenged by the criminal lawyer.

10. Negotiation:

The way in which a Brooklyn criminal defense attorney negotiates a case can make the difference in a good or bad result. Bear in mind that not all cases can or should resolve by negotiation. Sometimes your best option is to fight the case all the way to jury trial.

Attributes of a Good Criminal Defense Lawyer

People often ask how to determine if a Brooklyn Criminal Defense Lawyer is good or not. These attributes can help make the difference between a good, bad or mediocre result. Remember that good criminal defense lawyering is as much an art as a technical skill. There is no substitute for experience. On the other hand it is unfortunately true that some veteran lawyers are tired of practicing law or have been doing it the wrong way for so long, they can't change their ways. These rules apply to all criminal cases, whether drunk driving, driving under the influence, drugs, fraud, assault, battery, domestic violence or others. The rules apply everywhere.

1. The lawyer must care about the result and the client's well being:

This may seem obvious but it is important for lawyers to remember how important a case is to the person charged with a crime. Criminal charges can bring intense stress in all areas of a person's life, including professional, financial and family life. This rule applies whether it is a simple DUI matter or a serious fraud or homicide allegation.

2. Get to know the client and his or her life situation and background:

I cannot tell you the number of times that the unique facts of a persons life, or stresses which they are under, strike a note of sympathy with judges when negotiating the outcome of a case, or at sentencing. More importantly these facts can make a big difference with a jury should a person accused with a crime chose to testify in his or her own defense.

3. Work quickly to try to get the person out of jail:

Needless to say, if a person is in jail and hires a Brooklyn criminal lawyer, they are expecting the lawyer to make every effort to gain their release from jail. There are several things that can be done by the criminal defense attorney to make this happen, including motions to set or reduce bail, motions for release on their own recognizance, or a request for supervised release. For some people that own property, a motion to post real estate in lieu of cash is a good way to avoid paying a ten percent premium to a bail bondsman.