Dallas Texas and the surrounding areas have some great criminal attorneys. No one is world famous but there are criminal defense attorneys who can compete with any of New York or Los Angeles’ famous criminal attorneys. Due to the very conservative environment in Dallas and all Texas a criminal defendant needs good representation. Below is some advice on hiring a criminal defense attorney Dallas Texas.

It is difficult for the layman to know how to find a good criminal attorney. The legal profession is no different than any other profession as to having good, competent and honest members as well as bad, incompetent and dishonest ones.

The primary considerations in selecting a criminal attorney should be whether the client feels comfortable with the criminal attorney selected and if he is confident that the attorney is competent in his field of expertise.  Do not be intimidated by the attorney. Keep in mind - you are the employer. Much depends upon an individual's judgment, and many times a criminal attorney is hired on the basis of referrals from other individuals who have for one reason or another experienced a criminal attorney/client relationship as a result of work performed. You must feel very comfortable with the criminal attorney and must feel confident that the criminal attorney selected is the one who can capably handle your needs.  Any good criminal attorney will agree with the following statement.

The only thing worse than not having access to a criminal attorney is to have a bad one!

Some of the questions that would be helpful to most individuals in selecting an attorney include the following:

• Has the criminal attorney handled matters like this one before?
• Approximately how many matters like this has the criminal attorney handled previously?
• Does the criminal attorney specialize in the area of law in which the client is interested? (e.g. drug crimes, sexual offense, dui, robbery, etc.)
• Will I be charged for my first consultation?
• How much does the criminal attorney charge per hour? Or is it a flat fee
• How many hours does the criminal attorney believe it would take to complete the task?
• Does the attorney object to the client obtaining information about the subject matter before visiting with the criminal attorney? If so, for what reason? Sometimes there are good reasons.
• Does the criminal attorney provide the client with a written contract or a letter confirming employment? If so, ask to see an example.
• Does the criminal attorney have any references?
• When did the criminal attorney graduate from law school?
• Has the criminal attorney ever been admonished or cited by an ethics committee? (They must tell you!) If so, for what reason?
• Has the criminal attorney ever had any complaints filed against him? If so, for what reason?
• Has the criminal attorney ever lost his license and, if so, for what reason?
• Does the criminal attorney object to the client asking these questions? If so, for what reason?
• Does the criminal attorney (recognized by his peers for his expertise) receive referrals from other attorneys relative to this particular area of law?
• Is the criminal attorney licensed in any other state or has he ever been?
• Has the criminal attorney ever received any honors; if so, identify and describe the honors.
• Has the criminal attorney ever published? If so, identify the publications and area of publication.
• Has the criminal attorney worked with any other criminal attorneys or firms to whom the client may be referred for evaluation of an attorney?
• Does the criminal attorney refer work to other attorneys in other areas of the law where the criminal attorney is not an expert?
• Identify some of the seminars the criminal attorney has attended during the past several years and what have been the areas or topics of discussion?
• How much experience has the criminal attorney had in this sort of case? What percentage of his Practice is devoted to criminal cases?
• Will anybody help the criminal attorney work on the case, and if so, who?
• How long will it take for the case to be resolved?
• If the client is not satisfied with a settlement offer, can you insist on going to court?
• How often will you and the criminal attorney communicate about the case?
• Can you call and expect a reasonably prompt response?
• How can you contact the criminal attorney in case of an emergency? Does he have a cell phone, Pager?
• Who can you talk to if the criminal attorney is unavailable?
• How much will the case cost? Does the criminal attorney absorb incidentals or are they charged to you?
• What can you do to help the criminal case?

A client may think that certain elements of the attorney-client relationship are more important than others. For people with less money, attorney fees may be a deciding factor. Clients who do not need to consider money as the primary factor may wish to find a criminal attorney who has the best reputation in the particular field of law. Other clients may place a greater emphasis on personal rapport with the attorney.