What Qualifications a Criminal Defense Attorney Should Have
A criminal defense attorney can be hired by anyone who is facing criminal charges, however serious these charges may be. This type of attorney will research your case and charges in order to defend you well in court. When you go to your court hearing, you can have your attorney speak for you.
Why Should They be Qualified?
Before you pick a criminal defense attorney, you should check their qualifications first. The verdict on your court hearing and case will determine what, if anything, goes on your criminal record and what penalties you face. Therefore, if you are innocent and want to avoid getting a criminal record and possible jail time, you want your defense attorney to be able to defend you properly and adequately.
Graduated from Law School
To be a legitimate criminal defense attorney, they must first have graduated from law school. Law school is where students learn extensively about the law. This knowledge is crucial for a criminal defense attorney to accurately understand your case let alone defend it well. You can ask criminal defense attorneys where they graduated from law school before choosing to work with them. If it is important to you, you can research the different law schools. While all law schools are quite rigorous, there are some that are more prestigious than others and require higher grades for admittance.
Experience in Court
Aside from knowledge about the law, you want your criminal defense attorney to also have extensive practice with the law as well. This means that the attorney you hire should have many years of experience defending cases because this experience will affect how well they handle your case. If possible, find a criminal defense attorney that has lots of experience defending cases similar to yours. This experience means that they know how to deal with your type of case and how to better judge what the outcome may be.
When you are choosing which criminal defense attorney to go with, keep in mind that it is not nosy or rude to ask for qualifications. Professional, reputable attorneys will not mind telling you their qualifications. You want to know that the defense attorney you choose to work with will be a great fit for you and your case.
If you are looking for a highly qualified criminal defense attorney in the Salt Lake City area, reach out to Dave Clark Law here today for a consultation.