Your criminal lawyer will be representing you in the courtroom, and their effort can impact your life forever. Although finding a criminal lawyer in Australia has become a lot easier in recent years, people, who have no prior experience with legal proceedings, often stumble to find the best criminal lawyer for handling a case. Choosing the right attorney for handling a case is of utmost importance, and if you are looking for common questions to ask a criminal lawyer ahead of finalizing their service, here are some questions you should not forget to ask when you meet a criminal lawyer.
4 questions to ask a criminal lawyer
1. Ask About Prior Experience
Getting a few contacts of professionals is very easy. You can browse the internet and collect hundreds of contacts within a few minutes. You need to find the best criminal lawyer and asking a few questions may help you determine their prior experience. You can ask about the academic institutions and year of graduation. You can also ask about prior courtroom experiences so that you can ensure that the professional has handled similar cases earlier. Lastly, you should also ask whether they belong to any bar association or professional organizations operating in the country. If you get satisfactory feedback for all the questions, it’s time to proceed to the next step.
2. Questions for Assessment
The criminal lawyer can provide an idea about upcoming situations and possible moves of the opposition, and hence you should think about assessment and question about how will they tackle those challenges. For example, you can ask what the possible consequences of the case and he will describe the possible outcomes one by one. You can also ask about a potential problem with the situation, and it will help you to think about further consequences resulting from the same. The experience of the professional plays a vital role in this part. More the experienced the professional, the better he can predict the possible moves, and if you are not satisfied with their assumptions or doubt their capabilities in handling the case, it will be better to look for another professional.
3. Ask About the Fees
The charge of a criminal lawyer may vary, and therefore you must not forget to ask about the fees when you meet them in person. As there are hundreds of law firms working across Australia, you are likely to get competitive prices from the professionals and you should never choose a service just because it’s cheap. Always compare the rates so that you can pick a professional at a reasonable rate. Once you discuss the aforementioned things, you can ask about the fee structure and advance payment as well. In many cases, the client has to bear additional charges and you can ask about it so that it won’t create a nuisance in the future. Many professionals offer a free consultation for handling a case, and you can ask for it without any hesitation.
4. Ask About Case Management
All too often, clients retain some super expensive lawyers and spend a huge amount of money on a hefty retainer, and when the court date arrives, the big shot lawyer is nowhere in sight. Instead, they are working with a young lawyer who is straight out of Law College and works for the big shot lawyer. Sadly this a common practice. A lot of people forget to ask about case management while choosing a criminal lawyer, and if you are reading this, you should be careful about it. Make sure to ask whether they will be present in the courtroom for handling the case or other lawyers will be representing you?
These queries will make the hunt a lot easier and if you abide by all the tips, no one can stop you from choosing the right criminal lawyer. It is advised to get the contact details in case you have some queries, and these tips will help you win the case right away.
