Are you looking for the best defense lawyer to represent you in your case? If so, you may know to look for a lawyer that has the appropriate accreditations, experience, and one that specializes in your case; but you also want to choose a lawyer that you can feel comfortable with and one you can establish a good working relationship with. When choosing a defense lawyer consider these attributes and how they will affect your relationship with your lawyer and potentially your case. These are the most important attributes of a great defense lawyer:
- Trust. Without trust you have nothing. While trust is something that is usually built over time, when you are in need of a defense attorney it is something you need to acquire with your lawyer as quickly as possible. How do you know if your lawyer is trustworthy? You can begin learning about your lawyer from others. Reading reviews and asking for referrals will give you some information not only about the skill level, but can also give you important information about how current and past clients have felt about trust. You will also be able to judge you confidence level and how trusting you feel of any lawyer during an initial meeting. During that first meeting with a lawyer listen to your instincts and notice your own body language reactions to gauge how trusting you feel with them.
- Caring. You want to choose a lawyer that you honestly feel invested in you and in the outcome of your case. There are hundreds of different defense attorneys listed in the yellow pages or online. With so many different lawyers and law firms to choose from the only difference you will find is in how invested they really are in you and your case and how much you feel cared about. Clients who complain about lack of communication, or always having to be the one to make contact are in effect telling you that they didn’t feel cared for throughout their case. You should be looking for a lawyer and a law office that not only understands the needs of your case, but also understands what you need to have happen during your case. If you want daily updates or follow-up you should be looking for a lawyer or law firm that values that as well. Finding a law firm that can meet the expectations you have will help you find one that cares about what is happening for you.
- Work Ethic. You need to know that your lawyer will work hard for you. While you case is most likely not going to be the only one they are handling at any given time, you should be able to feel confident that the required time and focus is being given to you and your case. You can often find out a lot about a lawyer or law firms work ethic and practices by reading reviews. Unsatisfied clients will often be quick to point out where they feel things went wrong. You can then address these issues with any potential lawyer.
Taking the time to meet with and get a personal feeling for your defense lawyer will help you not only feel confident in their skills and training, but will also allow you to feel comfortable working with them and in sharing vital information. The better your working relationship and trust with your lawyer the more confident you will feel throughout the defense process and with the end outcome.
