Often people think that a criminal lawyer is needed for cases involving a murder or assault. However, there are several other offenses that a criminal lawyer can help you deal with like theft, shoplifting, driving under influence (DUI), etc. There are several stages of fighting a criminal case as well. You need to start by filing a report or anticipatory bail and move up to an appeal for squashing the case or appealing after a conviction. A good criminal lawyer can help you transcend each stage successfully.
Hiring the services of a good criminal lawyer can be the key to guaranteeing your freedom from any sort of criminal accusation. There are several criminal lawyers offering their services in all cities. In a major capital city like Delhi, the option for criminal lawyers is unlimited. To make the right selection can be extremely tricky and difficult. To make the selection process a little more scientific and easier for you, below are a few simple pointers, to help choose the Best criminal lawyer in Delhi:
Ensure You Are Hiring A Criminal Lawyer
It often happens that many lawyers who are not specialized criminal lawyers offer their services in criminal proceedings. They may offer their services at a huge discount to attract clients. However, it is important to understand that criminal cases are tricky and require complete knowledge of the criminal laws. Hence, the very first thing that one needs to do before hiring any lawyer is to ensure that he or she is indeed a qualified and experienced criminal lawyer.
Get References
The only way to know whether a particular lawyer can handle your case properly or not is to ask around about his capabilities. You should try to get references from other known lawyers and investigate the background and previous cases handled by the lawyer. This will help you know the success rate of the lawyer, making it easier to decide whether he will be able to handle your case in the best possible manner or not.
Pick A Responsive Lawyer
In India we feel that if a lawyer is not picking up our calls or is too busy to talk to us, that is a proof that he or she is a good lawyer. This is not true. In fact, one should always opt for a criminal lawyer who is responsive and is personally available to guide you at every stage of the case. The lawyer should have the time to study your case and prepare your defense in the best possible manner. A lawyer who is too busy to even talk to you, would never be able to understand your side of the story. Hence, to expect him to convince the judge about the same, is you being unrealistic.
Compare Prices
When accused of a criminal offense, we tend to panic and are ready to hire the services of the criminal lawyer at any cost. Criminal cases tend to drag on for years and can be an extremely costly. Hence, it is best to take a little time, get quotations from the top criminal lawyers, compare the same, and hire the most reasonable one. An important thing to bear in mind here that while trying to find a cheaper option, one should never compromise on the quality of the lawyer. Hiring a cheap alternative for an expensive but good lawyer can prove fatal in the long run. Hence, one needs to find a balance and try to pick a criminal attorney who is good at their job and is ready to offer their services at an affordable price.
Compatibility
At the end of the day, your lawyer should believe in you. If he or she does not trust you, then they will never be able to make others trust you in a court of law. Hence choosing someone who believes in you is very important. There should be mutual respect and understanding between you and your lawyer. The lines of communication between the two of you should be open. The environment between you and your lawyer should be free from judgements so that you are able to share everything with him.
Flexibility
At the end of the day, it is your life that is at stake. If thing go south, you will have to go behind bars and pay heavy penalties. Therefore, if you have any suggestions or opinions about the way the case should be handled, the lawyer should be open to the same. If your suggestion is legally wrong, the lawyer should calmy explain the same to you, and if you have a good suggestion to make, he should have no ego in accepting and using the same to strengthen the case.
Passion
There are several lawyers who take up cases like a job, expecting them to pay their bills for a long time. But for a good lawyer, the future of the client is important. They are passionate about winning the case and are prepared to go an extra mile to serve the best interests of their clients.
Personal Attention
When hiring the services of a big law firm, it often happens that you hire their services based on the feedback you receive about their top attorneys, but when the time comes to do the actual work on the case, some junior lawyer is appointed by the firm. It is, therefore, important that at the time of hiring the services of any such firm, you openly confirm that which lawyer will be handling your case. Only if you are satisfied with the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the assigned lawyer, should you hire the services of the law firm.
Keeping in mind the above points can ensure that you do not have to regret your choice of criminal lawyer. The most important thing in finding and hiring the best criminal lawyer in Delhi is to do a thorough research and be very clear and open about your requirements and needs. It is your life and future that is in jeopardy, hence your needs are far more important that everything else. Hence, choose smartly and selfishly.