When you have been accused of a crime, you have a lot to lose. You need to protect yourself, and you need a champion, a criminal defense attorney committed to fighting for you and your future. To get a strong defense, but it can be hard to pick one attorney among so many.
“How do I choose the best criminal defense attorney for me?” Our team from Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC will help you decide what is best for you. Here are some insightful tips for anyone who needs help from a criminal defense lawyer, like those you can find on our team.
You Must Be Honest
From the beginning, when you sit down with a Dallas criminal defense attorney from Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC, you must be open, honest, and accurate with our attorneys and staff. We will always be candid and clear with you. That is why there is an absolute privilege of confidentiality with your attorney and all our staff, to allow you to be completely truthful, which is the only way to help your attorney help you, since the only “bad fact” is the fact that your attorney does not know.
Also, on the topic of honesty, an attorney cannot promise results. That is neither ethical nor legal. What an attorney can do is promise to give your case their full attention, complete dedication, and devotion to your best interests.
Willing to Listen to You
It is important when you are hiring a criminal attorney to find one who genuinely listens. For example, if all you hear from an attorney is talk about himself and what he has done, you can be assured that “what a man talks about most, he does not have.” This old mantra still applies today, including when looking for the right attorney for your case.
Keep in mind that the attorney should be doing most of the listening because only by listening to you and getting complete and accurate information can the attorney give you sound advice.
It is also important that you allow the attorney to move the discussion in the direction in which they can be helpful. The things you think are important may not be immediately important to the attorney who is helping you, but rest assured that the attorney will always want to hear you out. Be patient and allow the attorney to guide the discussion, even if it is primarily a listening exercise on the part of the attorney.
You should hire an attorney who listens and hears what you have to say. An attorney who tells you all about themselves and their accomplishments is selling you, rather than helping you. Your attorney should be brutally honest with you and tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. They should give you hope by discussing possibilities with you and talking about options that may give you the best possible chance to get your life back.
The Importance of Time Management
Any attorney who can talk all day with you, without being paid, is likely either lacking clients or does not give their paying clients the time they need on their cases. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has hired this attorney, and you will see that it would be a concern to you if this attorney spent long hours talking with people who have not hired them, when you have paid them to work long hours on your case. For most attorneys, the initial consultation is going to be focused and time-limited.
Real-World Experience
You do not have to have served as a prosecutor or a judge to be a good criminal defense attorney, but it helps if you use that experience to understand your opponent in the courtroom. To get helpful information from a witness, another attorney, or a judge, an attorney must first be a good listener and be able to understand the role of others in the process and where they are coming from. It is the quiet, compassionate, and dedicated attorney who listens to others and understands them who prevails in the fight.
Staying Engaged with Your Case
When working with a full-service defense firm, you will be expected to be fully engaged in your defense. You and your future are what this whole legal process is about. You should always be treated with respect. The attorneys and staff should always look for ways to be engaged with you, so that they have the best chance of getting a good result.
Are We the Best Choice for You? Let’s Find Out Together
At Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC in Dallas, we are always ready and willing to fight for clients who have been accused of serious crimes or UCMJ violations. There is only one way to know if we are the best choice for you and your case, that is through a candid and open conversation with you. We are confident that our experience, resources, and insight will make us a strong choice for your legal counsel, but it is still most useful to discuss matters during an initial consultation.
Contact us 24/7 by dialing (214) 238-9392 and scheduling your case review with our team.