3 Things to Consider When Hiring a Criminal Law Specialist

 No one wants to be caught in a situation where they need to hire a Calgary Criminal Lawyer, but unfortunately, sometimes it is necessary. There are hundreds of lawyers in Calgary for you to choose from, and having this many options can become overwhelming quite quickly. 

Each professional will have different traits or ways of dealing with their cases than can be perfect for you, but the opposite is also true. To avoid being caught in a situation where you hire a lawyer that is not suitable for your needs, here are three things that you must consider before signing any contracts.

Experience

The first thing that most people notice is the years of experience brought by their options. It is a common practice for a criminal lawyer to have information about their experience on their website, such as how many years they have been working on the field, and so it is easy for future clients to check this information. 

It is also during this first look at their page that you can check if the lawyer in question works with your type of case. What this means is that you cannot just take a look to see if they practise in criminal law: you must also make sure if the lawyer focuses solely on summary or indictable offences, or if they are comfortable with both. Knowing this difference is essential to be able to find a perfect match for your case. 

Not only, but even within this division of summary and indictable offences, some lawyers will go further and only deal with very specific cases rather than others. For example, a professional can choose to only accept clients that have troubles with traffic violations, while others will dedicate their careers to financial crimes. 

Taking your time to gather this kind of information before contacting your options will save you a lot of time and increase the chances of finding someone who you are happy to work with.

Case Planning

Once you contact possible lawyers to take your case, you should really schedule an initial meeting with them. Most criminal lawyers in Calgary offer a first consultation for free before you make a decision on hiring them or not, so it is always an excellent opportunity for you to get familiarised with them and how they work. 

During this meeting, you can – and should – ask as many questions as needed to be fully aware of your case and possible outcomes for you. However, it is important to keep in mind that you must also inquire about the lawyer’s practices and how they work.

That is, alongside clarifications about your situation, you should also ask what kind of procedures to expect from them. Questions such as how will they conduct an investigation, what kind of team they have, how many third parties do they contact during a case and how are all of the documentation stored are just a few things that you might be interested to know beforehand. 

An excellent criminal lawyer will be able to provide you with detailed case planning, so you can rest assured that they are attending you to the best of their capabilities.

Communication 

Lastly, you must make sure that the lawyer of your choice has an open communication channel for you in times of need. Dealing with criminal justice is always stressful and can lead to a lot of anxiety, so being able to trust that your lawyer will clarify your doubts and reassure you about proceedings that are still unclear is vital. 

Of course, you need to respect their work hours and not make calls in the middle of the night or spam their inbox with hundreds of messages every day, but regardless, there must be mutual trust between you and your lawyer, especially since criminal lawsuits are usually very delicate and personal for the parties involved. 

After making those considerations, you will feel much more sure that you are making the right choice when hiring a criminal law specialist to assist you.