If you need to hire a criminal lawyer, you can’t afford to take any chances. Depending on what you’re charged for, you need to make sure you’re hiring the most suitable lawyer for your case, as you could be facing serious jail time and a criminal record. If you commit a dui in the military or a similar offense, it can make it extremely challenging to find work, or travel outside the country.
No matter the outcome of the case, you want to know that you hired a respected criminal defence lawyer in Toronto and got the best results possible.
Like everything else, before you decide who to hire as a criminal defense lawyer, shop around, do some research and talk to a few lawyers first. And if you notice they do any of the following, you’re probably better off hiring someone else.
Makes Promises or Guarantees
Lawyers in Ontario are not allowed to make guarantees. Still, if a lawyer you speak to tells you your case will be easy to beat, or that they can get you community service when your charge carries a mandatory minimum jail sentence or tells you anything that sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and you should move on.
Doesn’t Get Back to You
Before and after you meet with a lawyer, there will be a few phone calls to make arrangements. If it takes forever for a lawyer to get back to you in the beginning, think about how stressful it would be not knowing what’s happening with your case closer to the trial date.
If you hire a lawyer and they suddenly stop returning your calls, think about making a change, but don’t wait until the last minute. Criminal trials take time to prepare for, and your lawyer should be working well in advance of the trial. If that’s what they’re doing, they’ll be eager to talk to you and let you know what they’re up to. If you don’t hear from yours or they don’t return your calls, that’s a major red flag.
Has a Messy, Unprofessional-Looking Office
If you meet with a lawyer and have to sit on a beat-up couch, their desk looks like it’s seen better days, or files and open books are lying around, those could all be signs that this lawyer isn’t successful and/or organized.
If a lawyer is good at what they do, they’ll get a lot of referrals, and it will be obvious as soon as you walk into their office. And if they have a messy, unorganized office, you should be worried that they could miss an important date or lose a part of your file.
On the other hand, if their office is massive and expensive-looking and they’re trying to get you in and out as quickly as possible, this could be a red flag that you’re just a number to them. There are law firms that try to get a high volume of cases and get their clients to plea-bargain right away so they can move on to the next.
Lack of Experience with Your Charges
Because of the consequences of a conviction, you need to know that your lawyer has a successful track record with cases like yours. Some will have news articles or published cases they’ve won on their websites.
Either way, when meeting with lawyers, ask them how many similar cases they’ve won and ask for references.
