Start with the premise that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and you have the founding tenet of the criminal justice system in the United States. The being proven guilty also has to be done beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a tough standard to adjudicate.The criminal defense attorney’s job is to ensure their clients are found innocent, for obvious reasons. If you find yourself in a tight situation where you need the services of a criminal defense attorney, hire locally. The locals know the laws better than a hired gun from another state. They will also know the people involved in the process much more intimately than someone flown in to do defense duty.Most criminal defense attorneys handle cases such as homicides, domestic violence, DUI, vehicular manslaughter, sexual offenses, kidnappings, assaults, robbery and drug offenses. If you are in this kind of a situation, your freedom is threatened and you will need to rely on the expertise of a highly qualified criminal defense lawyer.Choose one who offers complete coverage of your case, and that includes all contact with police and prosecutors. Vital information is exchanged over the course of your case. Your lawyer should know the system well enough to get the full details of your arrest, be able to fight to have bail posted, be with you and counsel you on how to answer criminal charges and right beside you during the entire trial process.If your lawyer does not offer some services, think twice about hiring that attorney and find one that does stick with you. Being in the criminal justice system is hard enough with a competent lawyer. Going it alone is virtually impossible.Once you have been arrested, where ever possible do not waste any time getting to a phone to call your attorney. The reason for this is there is a time lag between being arrested and being charged. If the lawyer gets there fast enough, the charges might never be recorded and you will walk away free.
