I think when you're trying to find the best attributes of a Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorney, you're going to obviously want somebody who practices in the Central District of California, which is the District where Los Angeles sits, who has some experience with the judges there and prosecutor's office there, because depending on whether you're going to litigate the case or whether you're going to try to negotiate some sort of a plea bargain with the prosecutors, you obviously want someone who knows the lay of the land.
Types of Federal Judges
Some of the judges in the Central District are more conservative than other judges. All of the judges are much more liberal and easier to work with. Some judges in the Central District of federal cases in Los Angeles are going to move cases very quickly, while other cases will give you more flexibility and room to take your time to investigate a case and file whatever motions you deem are appropriate.
You can certainly do that in any federal criminal case, but again, the clock starts ticking very quickly in some of these federal courts, so obviously you want an attorney who is familiar with the court where your case is pending and knows exactly how to handle the case to make sure that you get the most out of your defense.
Retain a Federal Lawyer You Can Relate To
It think another important quality of a federal criminal defense attorney in LA is somebody that you relate well to and you feel comfortable with. Because if you feel good about your federal criminal defense attorney, you feel good when you talk to them and deal with them related to your case, then most likely the judges and prosecutors will and anybody else that they come in contact with, even in a jury trial.
You obviously want an attorney that's likable, can get points across in a professional manner so that they're understandable versus somebody who is just talking a bunch of mumbo jumbo that nobody can understand and can't really articulate themselves in a professional manner.
You also want an attorney that has dealt with the type of case that you have and has success. So, when you go and talk to your attorney and meet with them, you're going to want to ask them about other cases that they've done similar to yours and you obviously are going to want to be honest with them and give them all the information regarding your federal criminal case so they can then turn back around and say, here's what I think you're looking at. Here's what I think you should do in order to put yourself in the best position and here's what I can do to help as your federal criminal defense attorney.
Evaluating the Facts of the Case
These are definitely some of things that you want to be talking about and thinking about when you are trying to choose a federal criminal defense attorney and when you're trying to figure out exactly how to handle your particular case. The facts of that case are very important, but a lot of times the facts are in dispute.
One side is saying one thing; the other side is saying another thing, and sometimes the truth may lie within the middle, so you want an attorney who can figure that out.
But the only way they're realistically going to figure it out is if you give them the facts and details that are accurate and obviously, you're going to spin them towards you, which is fine, but just make sure they have all the facts, even the ones that may not be most favorable to you.
That's why a lot of times when I speak with clients, I say give me the rundown as to what the police and prosecutors are claiming. That way we can start to build our defense after that. You can't just tell me the defense, tell me all the good things about you because half the time when people do that, I'm like okay, then why are you charged with a crime if that's true.
That's because they're leaving out crucial facts that the prosecutors and police and maybe even a judge are going to rely on in trying to prosecute them. So, we don't want to leave facts out.
We want to put all the facts on the table and if there are some facts that are bad for us, then you want your federal criminal defense attorney to figure out a way to either get around those facts, deal with those facts or decide that we cannot get around those facts, so we're going to need to work out a plea bargain with the prosecutors.
So, these are some of things that you want to definitely look at, look for and talk about when you are trying to hire your federal criminal defense attorney. Once you've made the decision to hire that attorney you want to make sure that you cooperate with them and listen to what they say because you've entrusted them and hired them.
Also, work with them and do the things that they say. Let them know that you're serious about dealing with your case and also let them know that you're going to cooperate with them and do everything you possibly can so that you can end up with the best possible result related to your federal case in Los Angeles.
