criminal defense attorney

criminal defense attorney questions and answers

Q: Criminal Defense attorney? What characteristics to have? What to be good at? What skills to learn?
what would a really good criminal defense attorney be able to do

A: 1. Good communication skills - communicating with the client (criminal defendant) and with the jury (to persuade them to acquit your client). 2. Good personality - to help persuade the jury 3. Not too flashy; 4. Know the law (you won't be writing too many motions, etc. - those are usually done verbally, but if some are written, someone else usually will write it). I think that's it...

Q: How often are a criminal defense attorney's clients guilty?
While this question might be difficult (maybe impossible) to answer, I was curious as to a vague percentage? I'm trying to get a feel for the ethical issues of the occupation. In other words, would you think that a crim. defense attorney's clients are predominately guilty of the crimes they are accused of? Is it even possible for a lawyer to only defend whom they believe to be innocent?

A: The answer is, that it doesn't matter. If you're in it to defend only innocent clients you won't get very far. The job of a criminal defense attorney is to hold the State to it's burden of proof by providing the best defense possible for their client, regardless of guilt or innocence. Imagine a system in which lawyers were ethically bound to defend only those they thought truly innocent. Anyone charged with a crime under such a system would face an enormous initial hurdle of convincing some attorney that they are worthy of representation, and many would face the justice system without representation and surely be convicted. The practical result of such a system would be that lawyers, collectively, would have a much greater impact on the determination of guilt or innocence, than judges or juries. Is that what we want? I understand all the ethical arguments, and the mindless, bumper-sticker lawyer bashing that goes on. And in many cases there is some justification for it. The challenge is to propose a better alternative.

Q: What makes a great criminal defense attorney?
What should you find out about an attorney before you hire them to defend you. Do you think a lawyer can help you get out of trouble?

A: A Fantastic Lawyer holds the mortgage on the judges house~!

Q: Can I be forced to pay for my husbands criminal defense attorney?
My husband has got himself in trouble with the law and is being indicted in Federal Court. I have always told him that I would not help him with bail or lawyer fees if he got into trouble. I was hoping that he was smart enough to stay out of trouble, but apparently he wasn't. Everything we have is in my name because of his poor credit. Might I be ordered to help him pay for an attorney?

A: No. Unless you signed something acknowleding and accepting his court fees, lawyers fees etc... otherwise, nope. it's his problem.

Q: Who is the best criminal defense attorney in the Atlanta (Gwinnett county), GA?
My friend is being charged with aggravated battery. Who would be the best attorney to contact in the area?

A: These attys have good peer ratings on Martindale, but I've never been to Georgia.... William Fletcher of Gibson, Deal and Fletcher. http://www.gdfpc.com J. Michael McGarity, of the McGarity Group. http://www.themcgaritygroup.com Michael Sheffield. http://www.mikesheffieldlawfirm.com/

Q: I need the opinion of a criminal defense attorney?
I was charged with DUI with serious bodily injury. My passenger was injured. He is going to be alright, thank god. I have no record, just a couple speeding tickets. I have an attorney, but I am looking for other opinions on the best way to fight this or possibly get me a better outcome. I live in Florida. Thanks for the input! I guess I need to specify that I need "answers" not opinions. Is there a yahoo opinions site?

A: Your best bet is going to be calling around to different Florida DUI lawyers. Opinions from other states will not help you because laws are state specific. If you were in Pennsylvania, your lawyer might try negotiating away the serious bodily injury part if the victim is ok with that. That might work in Florida, then again it might not. The law is jurisdiction specific and something you can do in Pennsylvania might not work in Florida. Another part of the problem is that DUI law is a VERY sensitive area that governments have been working very hard to punish very severely. And each state has a different level of severity. So to figure out what you can or can't do, you need the answer/opinion of someone from your jurisdiction. But, here's what I would do in your shoes: 1.) Do a search of news articles for Florida DUI cases. 2.) Find attorneys who have done well in those cases and contact them 3.) Do a search for Florida DUI attorneys and contact different attorneys to see what their approaches are. Check throughout the state, but give more weight to the attorneys who practice close to where you were charged. Best of luck!

Q: How much does a criminal defense attorney and a patent attorney make?
I was wanting to know the average yearly amounts each one makes.

A: It depends entirely upon the experience level of the attorney and where that attorney works. A legal aid attorney may make as little as $26,000-$40,000 in a small town. A senior partner in white collar crime defense at a large firm in New York can earn in excess of $1 million per year. Same thing with patent attorneys - but the range is tighter.

Q: Better criminal defense attorney, prosecutor or police?
Which do you think makes a better criminal defense attorney? A former police officer or former prosecutor? Just would like to add that I do know for a fact of former police officers that have become criminal defense attorneys. One of them is supposed to be a very good attorney that was recommended, I'm just wondering the pro's vs con's of the two. Thank you for replies.

A: I think either would be good at what they did. Prosecutors would be more likely to switch sides, though.

Q: How many years of post high school does it take to become a Criminal Defense Attorney?
Hey im 15 and i Want to become a lawyer in the future. I just wanted to know how many years of post high school education you need. (College) BTW Im talking full time.

A: To become a lawyer, you need your undergraduate, 4-year degree from college, plus 3 years (full-time) for law school. Listen to this Ear on Careers podcast with Cindy Salvo, Esq., about the career of being an attorney: bit.ly/ceKYOu Best of luck! -Rhonda

Q: How do you find a good criminal defense attorney with little or no money down? My boyfriend is incarcerated an?
d awaiting trial on a drug possession charge. He is currently on probation and has priors. We really need help!

A: You don't without the universal lubricant. Welcome to the U.S.A. Get a free public defender who's specialty is bankruptcy to represent you in a criminal trial.

Q: how many victories in a year is considered very good for a criminal defense attorney?
In a medium sized city of about 500,000 people. I know a lot of it has to do with how many cases are tried to begin with, but i'm just looking for a good ball-park figure. Preferably, anyone with experience with attorneys or court should answer I'm not out to hire an attorney, I just need an average figure of what a good amount of victories is in a year, regardless of specialization.

A: This is not the right way to measure the situation. The biggest factors in whether a case will be won or lost are all outside the attorney's control. It is only in a very small portion of cases where the quality of the attorney will have any impact on the likelihood of a conviction. Some attorneys will specialize in cases that are easier to defend (e.g., white collar crime, drug possession cases where suppression of evidence may be a common issue, etc.) whereas other attorneys may specialize in cases that are much harder to defend (e.g., major felony trials where the prosecution and police have gone to great lengths to conduct a proper investigation and gather evidence). As you mention, it also will depend on the number of cases tried by the attorney. If the attorney tries serious felony or murder cases, odds are they may have only had ~5-10 clients in the past year, and odds are that all of them were convicted. On the other hand, an attorney specializing in misdemeanor DUI law may handle well in excess of 50 cases a year, in which case they probably have acquired a one or tmaybe two not guilty verdicts from those cases. Criminal defendants are almost always found guilty, because there are significant protections in place to ensure that a person is guilty (and that it can be proven) before they are even charged. Most attorneys who try only major crimes will likely see only a handful of not guilty verdicts in their entire careers. More often, cases will be dismissed before trial or terminated at the preliminary hearing stage, prior to the trial being conducted. What a good attorney CAN do is work with a client to get a good plea bargain, minimize the sentence, etc. etc. etc. It is difficult for the general public to distinguish among attorneys. Personally, when selecting an attorney, I would start by looking for attorneys who practice ONLY criminal defense law, who have a minimum of 5-10 years of experience, who previously worked for the agency prosecuting you (e.g., the same DA's office, the US Attorney office, etc.), and who did well at a top nationally ranked law school (e.g., Harvard, Yale, Duke, Stanford, Georgetown) or a the best local law school. Of course, this attorney will be much more expensive. I would also want an attorney who specializes in or has significant experience in cases of my type. i.e., if it is DUI, I would want someone who mainly or exclusively practices DUI law. If it is murder, I would want someone who has tried several murder cases. If it is white collar crime, someone specializing in that. As a practical matter, this is a bit of a "wish list" and you will not find attorneys meeting these criteria in a town of 500K people, and if you are able to find them, their rates will be astronimical. After getting a short list, I would interview each attorney and make a final decision based on my gut feeling and the rate the attorney charges. I would also be cautious of any attorney whose rate is significantly below the local average. Good luck!

Q: What three rewards or satisfactions are normally found within a criminal defense attorney?
i really don't understand this question..and i can't find no information on it either its for my project

A: Unmitigated greed, boundless lying and not one ounce of integrity.

Q: If you are a criminal defense attorney what would you do?
You are at your office, and one of your clients walks in, and places a gun, that has been fired on your desk. What do you do with the gun? Also this same client has knowledge of a defendant that you defended, and that client, the one you defended was found guilty but the client that gave you the gun knows he or she is innocent. Now that you have information about the wrongfully imprisoned client from another client, morally, and ethically speaking should you, or would you break the attorny-client priviledge? Would you litigate the attorney-client priviledge clause? Assume you defended the jailed client first, for armed robbery and first degree murder and he or she is on death row.

A: You cant drive to the police station but you cant keep the gun either. You have to send it to the police anonymously. As for the other client your question is convoluted and hardly intelligible. BUT it is never moral or ethical to break privilege. You'd have to try and anonymously tell the police that there may be a different suspect. You also cant represent the other client because it would be a conflict of interest. You could try to convince the gun client that they should come forward but you cannot make them come forward.

Q: How much money willa criminal defense attorney make in ten years?


A: Some will make chump change and some will make millions.

Q: How long do you have to go to school to become a criminal defense attorney majoring in family law? ?
I want to defend kids charged with crimes, but I also want to make a good deal of money. Thank you!

A: Seven years, four for any undergraduate degree and three for law school. Family law attorneys do not do criminal defense work, different court systems, different rules, different charges. Family law is generally restraining orders, divorce work, child custody, etc.