6 Reasons to Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney

Just because you’re innocent, it doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically get off the hook when pressed with criminal charges. The presumption of evidence and the fact that the burden of proof falls on the prosecutor may sound reassuring, however, this may not be enough.

By quickly googling the number of wrongly convicted people on a yearly basis, you’ll see that you do have a reason to worry. When it comes to your own safety, you cannot afford to take any chances. With that in mind and without further ado, here are the top six reasons why you need to hire a criminal defense attorney.

You don’t have to be charged

The first thing you need to understand is the fact that you don’t have to be charged with a crime in order to hire a criminal defense attorney. Even if the police just want to question you, you might want to consider hiring a professional legal representative. First, hiring a lawyer right away doesn’t make you look guilty.

Second, saying something that you aren’t supposed to or allowing trained police examiners to run circles around you is a far worse alternative. So, even if you had to choose between looking suspicious (which is only in your mind) and causing a mess, the choice is quite straightforward.

Financial insulation

When it comes to criminal charges, jail time is not the only peril that you’re facing. In fact, you’re just as likely to get fined. Now, the first thing you need to understand is that a lot of people avoid hiring a lawyer in order to avoid “wasting money”. After all, it’s a waste of money, seeing as how they’re innocent, to begin with, right? Well, not necessarily.

Once you are forced to pay the (completely avoidable) fine, you will find that the fine itself is far more expensive than what you would have to pay to a criminal defense attorney. Not to mention that the guilty verdict goes on your record.

They have all the right resources

Just because you are innocent, this doesn’t mean that you have what it takes to prove it. Let’s face it, gathering evidence is such a complex issue that people pay a fortune for private detectives to do so for them. As for the government, they have specialists who have undergone training for this.

A great criminal defense attorney already has their own network of contacts and knows exactly how to prepare for your case. They also know how to approach witnesses, prepare an adequate strategy and much, much more.

They have an in-depth understanding of the judicial system

One of the biggest problems with representing yourself lies in your lack of understanding of the judicial system. For instance, if the court rules against you, for how long do you have to make an appeal? What kind of procedure does this require? Just finding out these technical issues may be quite a drag.

Moreover, a lot of guides tend to be quite problematic due to the fact that it varies between states and countries. This is why you need local legal experts. For instance, when being charged in NSW, finding criminal lawyers from Parramatta sounds like a great solution. 

They have previous experience

To you, this may be the first time that you’re criminally charged. For them, it’s just another case. Sure, this may not sound reassuring but the ability to emotionally separate themselves from the case is what gives them an advantage.

They say that the man who represents himself has a fool for a client and there are many cases in the past that testify just how true this is. After all, a seasoned criminal defense attorney has had many cases similar to yours.

You’re guilty

In the case where you are, indeed, guilty, having the right criminal defense attorney is something that can make a huge difference when it comes to the sentence/settlement. The difference can be counted in months, years or thousands of dollars.

All of these resources are incredibly valuable, which is why you need to do everything you can in order to protect and preserve them. Fortunately, with the right criminal defense attorney, you can turn this around.

Conclusion

The very last thing you need to understand is the fact that there’s so much at stake here. Your reputation, the stress that you’ll endure and the troubles that your family will have to deal with are just some of the issues worth your immediate attention.

Being falsely accused is stressful and unfair. It can also cause harm to your reputation even if you do win. Therefore, it’s important to use everything in your power to your defense.