10 Tips To Hire The Best Criminal Lawyer (Updated)

The most important part of hiring a lawyer is to understand what kind of lawyer you need.

Well, this chiefly depends on the complex structure of the case, filing requirements in the court and then working on the on-going trials.

Hiring general lawyers is not a good idea if your case is a serious one and there is a lot at stake. For instance, if you are contesting a divorce that was filed with false claims, you need an experienced divorce lawyer. For estate matters or non-criminal cases, civil lawyers should be hired. Similarly, if a case has been filed against you for some crime, you will need a criminal lawyer.

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Some Points about Criminal Law in India that every citizen should know –

In India, criminal cases are categorized into two categories

1. Cognizable offence
2. Non-cognizable offence

The cognizable offence is for serious cases and you can be arrested any time without a need for a warrant. If you expect the case to be considered a cognizable offence, it is quite imperative that you hire a lawyer for you as quickly as possible. The criminal defense lawyer can explain the options available to you and you can think about applying for anticipatory bail if the offence is cognizable.

The non-cognizable offence is a bailable offence. When an offence is Non-cognizable, the police has no right to arrest you without a warrant, as well as they are entitled to an investigation. These crimes include – defamation, public nuisances, hurt, mischief, cheating, assault, and more.

Now when you are clear about the basic Criminal offences we can tell you some great tips to hire the best Criminal Lawyer.

Tips to Remember while hiring the best Criminal Lawyer-

While it is advisable to choose a lawyer after careful research and background checks, you might not always have much time for it. Most of the states in India including Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh have huge pending cases and the top criminal lawyers are always bogged down with cases. Below are a few tips to help you hire the best criminal lawyer for you.

1. Every Criminal Case Is Different
2. Consideration for pro-bono case
3. Proper designated time
4. Members of local bar council/association
5. Experience in specialized areas
6. check for your instincts
7. A team is required to fight a case.
8. Go for references.
9. Look for a lawyer who can negotiate.
10. Choose a lawyer who can represent you in the courtroom.
1. Every Criminal Case Is Different
Remember that the most reputed lawyer does not naturally become the best lawyer for you. Every criminal case is different and you should choose the lawyer who might have handled and won a similar kind of case.

2. Consideration for pro-bono case
Most of the top criminal defense lawyers in Chandigarh will be expensive. If you are not in a condition to afford the bills, you can find out if a lawyer takes on pro-bono cases. If your case is unique or special in some way, there are higher chances of being considered for pro-bono work.

3. proper designated time
When you are choosing a lawyer, make sure that he will be able to give your case the required personal time without delegating it to one of the junior lawyers.

4. Members of local bar council/association
When choosing criminal lawyers in Chandigarh, look for lawyers who are members of the local bar council or lawyer associations.

5. Experience in specialized areas
The criminal procedure code is vast and the lawyer you choose should have experience in specialized areas then only they will be able to quote judgments awarded in similar cases previously to help you.

6. check for your instincts
Always trust your instincts while hiring a Criminal Lawyer. During the initial consultation time, recognize how your lawyer makes you feel. Are you comfortable with him and does his advice works well with your logic?

7. A team is required to fight a case.
A single person cannot work on every aspect of the case. To win and handle a case lot of other members are required like a paralegal, administrative staff, and other lawyers too. So, choose a lawyer who has a fully-fleshed team.

8. Go for references.
Ask friends and trusted associates for references. Sometimes even the best lawyer won’t have satisfied clients. We need to look for good recommendations and promising clients.

9. Look for a lawyer who can negotiate.
An aggressive approach is not always the right one. So, you should look for a lawyer who can give you the options from plea bargains to judgment. Remember, every solution that you choose will have lasting consequences, therefore, make informed choices.

10. Choose a lawyer who can represent you in the courtroom.
Courtroom cases can be expensive but might be the right choice for your case. Always opt for a lawyer who has experience in representing in the court.

Fighting Criminal cases is not easy and cannot be done alone. You will require a passionate, experienced, and knowledgeable attorney who can support, guide, and help you win your case. So, always choose the right lawyer to fight your case, not to regret later.

Along with passion, experience, and knowledge there are some more qualities that a criminal lawyer should have –

• Committed – Criminal cases can get complicated and their judgment can have a lot of consequences in one’s life. Therefore, it is important that you choose a lawyer who doesnt push you or your matter, and is totally committed to your case in bringing out positive outcome. 
• Privacy – Not everyone is comfortable about discussing their matters especially court cases. Thus, it is important that you look for a lawyer who is good at secrecy. It is important for every defense lawyer not to expose the information that could lead to conflict or negative outcome. 

• Judgement– The quality of drawing reasonable and logical conclusion from limited information is an important quality required in a lawyer. The potential areas of weakness should be farsighted to avoid any situations. Similarly, he must be able to spot any weakness in opponents argument to win the case.

• Analysis – Studying a case requires a lot of distillation of information and then managing all the facts to fight the case. There will be times that more than one reasonable conclusion that can be drawn or more than one precedent applicable to resolving a situation.

• People Skills-  A lawyer should be a people’s person, as his profession is to work with people and on behalf of them. So a lawyer must be persuasive enough and have the ability to read people. This  helps them to honestly judge the witnesses.

While hiring lawyer people tend to overlook these tips which later on can get them into trouble. It is best that you check out your lawyer’s background before hiring them. And having a lawyer with expertise in criminal law, or law specific to your charges, will be invaluable in the courtroom.

And always remember!

Never choose a lawyer who you cannot talk to without reservations. You should let your lawyer know the entire story including both good and bad parts so that he can defend you to his full potential.