JAshley73 said:
. . . .I have one more question though. It sounds like I want to seek out someone with criminal defense experience. Is it just me being naive, or does the "criminal defense" title carry a negative connotation, that reflects poorly on the client? Will the judge and/or jury recognize said "criminal defense" attorney, and assume that the defendant is automatically a criminal? Please tell me if I'm being unreasonable here - I probably am - but these are things I'd like to be more educated about before making an appointment with someone.
Sam1911 nailed it:
Sam1911 said:
EVERY person charged with a crime needs an attorney to represent them, and that field is "Criminal Defense."
It's not a matter of "defending criminals" so much as it is a matter of "practicing in the field on criminal law, on the side of the defense." Yes, the judge is likely to recognize your attorney, and the smaller the town you're in, the more likely it is. Attorneys often prefer to work in a couple of chosen fields, like criminal law, or contract law, and they take on clients who need work in those fields. As a result, they wind up appearing in front of the same judges over and over.
As for the jury, they might assume that the defendant is a criminal, but it's the lawyer's job to weed out jurors who exhibit a bias based on preconcieved notions, so let the lawyer do what you pay him to do.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when selecting an attorney:
1) Prosecutors and public defenders get a TON of trial experience while working on those offices. They're woefully underpaid, but they're in court
constantly. They try a ton of cases, and trial skills is one of the things you're looking for. So look for someone who has either prosecuted or worked as a public defender. Young lawyers go into those fields to build trial skills, not to get rich.
2) Don't worry about which side of the fence they were on when they had the jobs listed in #1. It's not necessarily a reflection of their beliefs. Not all prosecutors are anti-gun, and not all PDs are pro-gun. In fact, most prosecutors that I know have their CHCLs. (When you spend your days telling judges that Nelson Knucklehead needs to stay in jail, Nelson's family is apt to get testy about it.)