If you’re on the wrong end of a criminal prosecution, you will need a good criminal defence attorney to protect your rights and interests. The United States has over 240,000 criminal defence attorneys. That’s an overwhelming number for someone who just wants one criminal defence attorney. So here’s how to find the right one for you.

What Kind of Lawyer Do You Need?

The first step is to figure out what kind of lawyer you need. Generally, there are two categories we are looking at: a specialist criminal defense attorney, who will focus on one specific area of criminal law, such as RICO violations, instance, or, a general practitioner. If you are charged with a serious crime, then you will need someone who is well versed in that area of law. However, if you are charged with something less frightening, and you just need a criminal defense attorney to help guide you through the legal system and protect your rights, then you should be fine with a general practitioner. As a rule of thumb, if you can get jail time or face significant financial or professional penalties from a lawsuit, then you should get a specialist. If, however, jail time is off the table and any financial or professional penalties are bearable, then a generalist will do.

Get Referrals

Your friends and family are a treasure trove of wisdom. They might know a good criminal defense attorney. If you know any financial planners, doctors, and other such professionals, they are likely to interact with some lawyers as part of their professional life.

See What Other Clients and the State Think About That Lawyer

You need an overview of your lawyer’s credentials. SO, the first thing here is you should check with your state bar association to see if the lawyer of your choice has a bad disciplinary record. This is important because you don’t want a tainted verdict. Court records are another valuable resource to see what your lawyer’s record is like. A good law firm will have a clean disciplinary record. The court clerk and the state bar association will be able to provide additional resources.

You should also check Google and Facebook reviews to see how lawyers are rated by their clients.

Pick a Winner

You really need to check to see if a lawyer has dealt with similar cases before, and what their success rate is. Their success rate will act as a base rate for whether or not your defense will succeed. It’s even better if that success is within the court you will be appearing before because a lawyer with home-court experience will understand the court systems, the personalities involved, and the legal strategy that is most likely to work.

You really have to define your lawyer’s success rate. The best lawyers won’t be shy about advertising this. So, for instance, a lawyer with a 50% success rate essentially means that your defense will be a coin flip. The higher the success rate, the better your odds. Remember, even a lawyer with a 100% success rate can lose. You may be their first loss. What you’re paying for is odds, not certainty. No lawyer can guarantee a result. However, a good lawyer can make success more likely.