Hiring Your Defense

When you are arrested for a criminal offense, you are suddenly plunged into a legal system that may leave you feeling confused, dehumanized, and hopeless. To maximize your chances of preserving your freedom, you should exercise your right to remain silent and hire an experienced Philadelphia criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. Your PA lawyer will be able to explain the charges against you, the procedures you must go through, and the best defense strategies available under your circumstances. But most importantly, he or she will protect your rights throughout the Pennsylvania criminal law process.

Determining which attorney is right for you or a loved one can be difficult. You may need an attorney quickly, but you also need one that you can trust and who has experience in the particular offense with which you have been charged. Your choice may also be affected by the cost of the lawyer’s services and your impression of that lawyer’s character and reputation. Talking with the attorneys you are interested in will help you decide which one you can trust with your case.

Hire a Philadelphia Attorney Who Can Get You the Results You Want

Your first consideration should be whether the attorney you have in mind has the skills, experience, and track record of success to get you the results you want. There are many factors to consider, and none that alone can accurately predict the outcome of your case or the quality of the lawyer’s services. Sometimes, experienced lawyers make mistakes that cost their clients dearly. Other times, rookie attorneys might stumble upon a novel legal argument that results in their client’s freedom against all odds.

That being said, you can give yourself the best chances possible in facing the criminal justice system by arming yourself with a lawyer who:

• Has won cases similar to yours in the past
• Graduated from a reputable law school
• Has received awards or recognition for his or her work
• Has never been subjected to disciplinary action
• Has a good rating on Avvo, Martindale, or Super Lawyers
• Worked as a prosecutor before becoming a defense lawyer
• Has at least a few years of experience under his or her belt

Most people have a lawyer in their family or social circle, and it can be tempting to call them when you get in trouble. But you need to make sure that they are experienced in criminal law. Out of more than one million lawyers practicing in the US, only a small fraction are are experienced in criminal law, which has procedures and techniques distinct from other areas of the law such as contracts, trusts, personal injury or property. So if your cousin is a worker’s compensation lawyer, he or she might not be a good choice for fighting your DUI charges.

Hiring a Good Defense Team from Fienman Defense

You may need to balance all of the above against considerations of price. There’s no way around it: getting charged with a crime will be expensive. If you get convicted you may have to pay court costs, fines, and civil restitution fees. Even if you win your case, you’ll still need to pay your lawyer. Many lawyers work on a flat fee basis, which means they charge their clients a single fee (usually in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars) for taking on your case. Others charge on an hourly basis, with more experienced lawyers charging significantly more than younger ones.

If your case can be cleared up quickly, working with a lawyer on an hourly basis is ideal. On the other hand, if your case involves a lengthily process of investigation, discovery, and trial pleading, the hours can add up to a fee much greater than that charged by a lawyer who uses a fixed rate. In any case, retaining the services of a skilled and experienced criminal lawyer is going to be expensive. But when your freedom, career, and family life are on the line, it’s worth the investment.

Put Your Life in the Hands of a Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Lawyer You Can Trust

Just because your attorney is smart, experienced, hardworking, and affordable doesn’t mean that you should blindly hire that person. Criminal cases can be lengthy, especially when appeals are involved. You may need to spend lots of time with your attorney, so you need to work with someone with whom you are comfortable and will have a productive relationship. Additionally, you need to be able to trust that attorney to put your interests first and to aggressively pursue every option in your case.

Unfortunately, every case, every defendant, and every lawyer is different so at some level you need to follow your intuition when it comes to hiring your Philadelphia criminal defense attorney. When you talk for the first time, try to gauge whether the lawyer seems truly interested in your case, and whether he or she is a good listener. If you feel like the lawyer doesn’t have a lot of time to give you, or is more interested in talking about fees than the basic facts of your case, that lawyer may not be worthy of your trust.

Why Fienman Defense Is Different

At Fienman Defense, our goal is to get our clients good case outcomes through aggressive advocacy and personalized attention. We believe that we can optimize out client’s chances of success by listening carefully to their needs and by thinking of them as people—not just case numbers. For us, treating our clients right and advancing their interests through the criminal justice system go hand in hand.

Attorney Michael H. Fienman has a successful track record of protecting the rights of people charged with criminal and traffic offenses in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware and Chester counties. With significant experience advocating for his clients in state court, federal court and before administrative agencies, he is able to tackle a wide range of cases. If you’ve been charged with a crime, call Fienman Defense today at (215) 839-9529 for your free and confidential consultation.

Learn more about Hiring Your Defense

• Criminal, traffic and DUI attorneys
• Criminal defense attorneys
• Innocent unless proven guilty
• Cost of hiring a lawyer
• Financing and payment plans
• Criminal defense FAQs