Most people don’t realise that criminal trials are the ones that are a part of our everyday lives. As they are the ones that we read about and see on TV. Even though we all hope that we will never have to be involved in something like that, we are often impressed by the criminal lawyers representing both sides. So, what really makes a criminal lawyer a good one? Here you can find the 5 factors that make a good criminal lawyer.
The Ability To Communicate
A good criminal lawyer needs to be as good of a listener as they are a speaker. They need to be able to communicate with the opposite party as well as be able to negotiate conditions and terms no matter what their case is.
The Ability To Investigate
The most important thing a criminal lawyer needs to do is over-investigate the case they are on. Probably the biggest difference between lawyers is how much investigating they do on their own. A criminal defence lawyer needs to be playing catch up from the moment they get involved in that case. In most cases, the police have been on the case for months or years and already investigated a big part of it.
The criminal lawyer is always coming in late and has to do their investigation fast and very detailed. Every single thing must be looked at and all the possible witnesses have to be found. A good criminal lawyer will be there and go to the scene and find their own witnesses instead of reusing someone else’s.
The Ability To Negotiate
Something that we all know is that a criminal lawyer needs to be very good at negotiating. But a lot don’t really realise what that actually means. Most beginners will think that negotiating is like bellyaching, nagging, pleading and begging, hence why they are not good lawyers. That is the worst method and it simply doesn’t work.
When it comes to negotiating, there are two factors to be considered. You need to consider what that person deserves and what are the odds of winning the case. If it goes to trial. A good criminal lawyer will do their best to provide the best deals to those who have a poor case against them. Contrariwise, those who are proven to be horrible humans with a great deal of evidence of guilt should get the worst deal. That is why a good criminal lawyer will ask to know both the bad things and the good ones. A good one will be able to see when someone is stretching the truth and it will cause them to lose their credibility. Professional criminal lawyers such as Lamont Law will always find any possible weaknesses in the case and be prepared for every single outcome.
The Ability To Provide A Technical Legal Defence
Every single criminal lawyer needs to provide a technical legal defence in order to be a good one. Even though this is learned from law books, not a lot of criminal lawyers will continue to expand their knowledge. A good criminal lawyer will read for discovery and keep rereading the law to become better. As most police officers will be very skilled at investigating crimes, there is always room for arguments.
That is why a good criminal lawyer needs to challenge the initial approach of the client you are working with. When it comes to technical legal defence, in most cases it will begin at the motion stage. That will lead to the suspension of any evidence or even dismissal of the whole case. As pressure will improve any plea offers, most strong legal decent places will put pressure on the prosecution. If there is even the slightest chance that the case could be lost, the prosecutor would have offered a great deal. At the end of the day, a good lawyer will simply be able to provide you with victory, offer a better bail bond or add leverage to the settlement.
The Ability To Win At Trial
The toughest skill that makes a good lawyer is the ability to win a trial. As trials are super hard, not many lawyers will decide to take their case to trial. That is because going to trial takes a lot of work and time. A good criminal lawyer will prepare 50 hours per week prior to a felony trial. Not a lot of lawyers will want to do the work as it is not only a lot of time, but it is very stressful.
These traits are usually very in your face and highly advertised. A lot of criminal lawyers will not want to be at the centre of attention for that much time when every single mistake will be visible to the public eye. Only good layers will be able to win trials. A good criminal lawyer must be able to win their trial, if they have double that they can’t win it, they simply won’t allow the case to go to trial.
When it comes to criminal defence lawyers. The ones who are caring for their job, justice and doing their research will always set themselves apart from those who simply don’t care and do their work mediocre. In order to become a good lawyer. You will need to have porter certifications that will show that you have dedicated your time to learning and becoming the best you can be. Having a good reputation and showing that you know how to balance your cases. And winning them is the best way to show that you are a good lawyer. Always strive to be better and never stop learning and you will be the best at your job.