Characteristics Of A Great California Criminal Defense Attorney
I can speak freely on this subject, having been a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles for the last twenty-five years. The number one characteristic I would want when choosing a criminal defense attorney would probably be that they know the courthouse, are local to it, and know the players within the courthouse.
Knowing how a courthouse operates, the judge and prosecutor's tendencies, and how to handle certain cases is huge. Being local, you will know people there and have a good feel for how the system runs and how you will handle a particular client's case.
The second thing that I would say is important in a criminal defense attorney is their attitude and personality. I can't tell you how many cases I have won because I have been able to convince a jury, the prosecutor, or the judge of my client's position. It's huge.
If you can convince the key parties in a case of your position, you will be successful and be able to win your case. That's what it's all about – getting the result for your client.
The next crucial factor I would look at is experience. How long has the attorney been handling criminal defense? I'm not really that impressed with prosecutors. It's easier to prosecute people because you typically have the evidence, the police, and all the money to be able to prosecute a case.
You usually have the advantage. The judges are typically former prosecutors. So, being a prosecutor to me is meaningless. What is important is how long you have been a criminal defense attorney. What experience do you have in that court? How many cases have you done there? How many of the types of cases that your client has have you done? So, experience is crucial.
Knowledge of California Criminal Laws
The next factor I would look at is knowledge of the law. There are some cases in which knowing the law, how to argue motions, and how to discuss the case are huge. So, knowing the law, having done instances similar to the type of case your client has, for example, for a burglary case, how many have you done? What kind of success have you had in that court? What are the issues in a burglary case?
Not every case is a legal case where you have to know the law. Still, I definitely think that's an important factor in criminal defense because knowing the law, fighting motions, and getting cases dismissed are crucial in many cases.
The next factor I would look at is somebody who can prosecute a case because if you don't have any teeth as a criminal defense attorney, who cares? In other words, prosecutors will be fearless in taking a case to trial against certain lawyers because they know that the lawyer will not be able to win the case.
They know that lawyers are deal cutters; all they do is cut deals. Yes, many deals are cut in criminal defense, but sometimes you have to be able to fight a case, and if your lawyer can't fight a case in Los Angeles, you've got a big problem.
So, the bottom line is that you have to look at all these factors, compare them to your case, and see what is important to your case.
I get the people in. We talk about the case. We get all the facts on the table, and then we can figure out exactly what is important. The factors I just mentioned will be crucial for your case. You get the attorney to execute the plan and get the result you're supposed to.
