This is Part 34 of our weekly North Carolina Criminal Defense video blog: “How to Choose a Great Attorney?“
Transcript:
I think the most important thing when you’re trying to decide who to hire as a criminal defense lawyer is their level of experience. How much experience do they have in the courtroom and how much experience do they have with the people in those courtrooms (the officers, the judges, the district attorney’s office)? There’s no substitute for experience in a criminal case.
I’ve tried over a 1,000 cases here in Wake County. I’ve worked as an assistant DA here in this county. And as a defense lawyer now for 11 years, I’ve been before the same judges, the same officers, deal with the same DAs on a day-to-day basis.
But it’s also listening to the client and trying to get to know the client as well as possible. Where that client is coming from. What their experience is. How they ended up in this situation. I think that’s one piece that I try to get to know my clients as much as I can.
I think the only thing else you can talk about is preparation. Do you have a lawyer who is going to spend the time preparing your case? I try to prepare my cases, meet with my clients, get to know those clients, know the law and the facts of the case, before we go to court. So that we can achieve the best outcome for that particular client.
Our offices are located right across the street from the Wake County Justice Center. We’re in close proximity to the courthouse, so I’m here most days working late, meeting with clients, and I’m very very convenient to the courthouse. I think the most important thing that you can do if you’re looking to hire a criminal lawyer is meet with that person and decide how comfortable you are with them. What we try to do at our firm is learn about our clients and spend the time and the preparation work knowing their case to try to achieve the best possible outcome for that particular client.