The Best Colorado Criminal Lawyer is not a single person it is many possible candidate. Finding the right lawyer for your case is a difficult process that must be accomplished in very little time. All lawyers are NOT the same. When you have been arrested and charged with a misdemeanor or felony crime in Colorado, you should find the best criminal attorney you can afford and you should not end this task until you are completely satisfied withyour selction.
By Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer Attorney H. Michael Steinberg. Over 42 Years Specializing In Colorado Criminal Law
The Role of Specialization In Colorado Criminal LawCriminal Defense Lawyers in Denver may or may not have the kind of critically important experience in the type of case with which you are charged. Colorado has some of the best prosecuting teams in the United States. The reason? The Denver Metropolitan area attracts professionals from around the world because of its location. It is why I made Colorado my home some 42 years ago. Your Colorado criminal lawyer should have the kind of professional experience to use the present vernacular these days the “chops” to handle these excellent opponents.
While Time Is Of The Essence in Finding The Best Colorado Criminal Lawyer Be CircumspectAfter you have been arrested, time is of the essence. All of my websites are designed to get you the information you need when you need it most. While finding the best criminal attorney for you on your misdemeanor or felony case in Colorado may or not result in your retaining my law firm you will be better informed on how to make this important decision after researching the law and my credentials to represent you.
This article is intended to help you to learn how to find and to qualify a good criminal attorney in Denver, Colorado.
It’s ComplicatedFinding a Colorado Criminal Lawyer may seem easy at first but trust me it is a difficult task take your time.
Selecting the right attorney can be very confusing. The decision should not be made on who you are drawn to .. That is who you like the most. Equally important it should not be based on which law firm has the lowest fee scale..both are factors but not the key factors to consider as most critical.
Your objective is to not to make a friend or to save yourself money it is to obtain the best possible and realistic result in your criminal case. Extreme competence and experience are central to selecting your Colorado Criminal Lawyer. You can almost always find an new friend and you can find a way to pay for a quality criminal attorney when it is your freedom that is at risk.
Be Honest and Be COMPLETE In Your First Discussions With The Candidate LawyersBe honest enough to give the lawyer attorney a fair idea as to what really happened. Leave out your opinion and editorializing. Giving your attorney the unvarnished truth allows the lawyer to give you his or her best possible analysis of what you can expect, or what it is possible to achieve.
Experience Matters -ReallyMake certain the lawyer has handled many similar cases in the best. While I am biased I would not retain a lawyer with less than 20 years experience in the field of Colorado criminal law. If the lawyer does not list that experience or resists discussing his or her years of specialization in for example Colorado domestic violence cases, or sex crimes cases, or drug crime case or DUI DWAI Cases move on. Also importantly try to gauge the confidence the criminal defense attorney has in his or her own skills.
Criminal cases are all different. Lawyers with 20 years experience or more in the field of criminal law will most likely have had extensive experience in the areas that matter. For example a self-defense case can involve dozens of technicalities such as the psychology of witness testimony the impact of stress in the identification of facts. Forensic issues such as the mechanics of firearms operation crime scene and accident reconstruction, blood spatter analysis, gunshot residue testing, and firearms identification testimony.
Local Connections and Reputation In The CommunityA Colorado criminal defense lawyer’s professional relationships are also an important factor in the decision on which criminal defense law firm to retain. An attorney’s relationship with a particular county court system judicial district or prosecutor’s office that will be handling the case can sometimes make a difference in the critically important negotiations during the plea bargaining phase of your case. Furthermore if a case must go to trial a trial judge’s familiarity with a local defense lawyer’s long reputation for integrity and professionalism often works to the advantage of his or her client during the trial process.
The earned respect of certain lawyers may enable these lawyers the opportunity to successfully negotiate a case on the client’s behalf and many times avoid a jury trial. Sometimes charges may not only be reduced they may be completely dropped.
Older more seasoned (20 years or more in the “trenches” of Colorado criminal courtrooms) local Colorado criminal defense lawyers who are very experienced at criminal litigation will know the local prosecutors, judges, and police officers in your case very well.
The true specialist in Colorado Criminal Law will also jealously protect his or her credibility and reputation. A very large part of a defense lawyer’s job is talking to and negotiating with DAs and the judge. It is well known that a good reputation takes time to build but can be destroyed in a moment. Without a good reputation, without credibility, any representation a defense lawyer makes to a DA or a judge is worth much less.
The best defense lawyers will never misrepresent the facts or try to “pull the wool over” a DA’s eyes. Trust is forever. As a former career prosecutor for nearly 13 years, I learned that when a lawyer I trust tells me something, I believe him or her and we could move on from there.
Have A Focused Plan To Find The Best Colorado Criminal Lawyer You Can LocateChoosing a Colorado Criminal Lawyer from a focused plan having asked good questions and having done your research increases your chances of a favorable result in your case.
It’s a Matter Of Trust And JudgementYou will need a lawyer who will not lie to you you will need someone in whose judgment you trust. If arrested and the case must go to trial, you could be working with this person for more than a year maybe two.
Communication Is Key To The Relationship WorkingYou will also need someone who can communicate well with you. Whether it is by cell in person by email or by text messaging you will require someone who will promptly respond to your communications and answer your questions to help you make important decisions about your case.
Are You Comfortable With This Lawyer? Is He or She The Lawyer Who Will Be Actually Handling Your Case?If you are comfortable and trust your lawyer after you meet with him next ask whether he will be the person actually doing the work on your case. If not, leave the firm and go to the next choice of a lawyer who will be with you to the final outcome from the beginning to the end of the case. This is not an area where “bait and switch” is a meaningless tactic.
The So Called “Win Loss” RecordWhen I was a prosecutor in Arapahoe and Douglas Counties there were lawyers in my office who only took cases to trial they knew they would win. The reason the win loss record meant advancement. However those of us in this profession for decades know the truth. The best lawyers try the toughest cases… not the easy wins. As a criminal defense lawyer your duty is to your client and ONLY your client to get the best possible result. Colorado criminal defense lawyers have some of the biggest egos in the state those egos should be checked at the door. The case begins continues and ends with the client’s best interests as the only consideration.
While you may be tempted to ask the attorney about his or her win/loss record, remember this, the answer will not be helpful. Every case is unique more so when it comes to the idiosyncrasies of judges and juries. If a lawyer tells you he or she has never lost as we used to say in the DA’s office he or she is not trying the tough cases.. A lawyer that tells you they have never lost is lying or like a few of my old colleagues they are taking only the easy cases to trial. Those weak cases should not go to trial an ethical DA has the obligation to dismiss unprovable cases in the interests of justice … saving the client thousands of dollars in legal fees.
And what is meant by a “win?” No experienced prosecutor wins every case nor has any credible criminal defense attorney likely had an acquittal on all charges in every case. A win for the client in an “open and shut” case may mean a favorable plea agreement than the probable result of a lengthy and difficult trial. It may mean a conviction for a less serious charge than the prosecutor sought. So a “win” is very much in the eye of the beholder. An attorney’s record is far less important than whether he or she is dedicated, conscientious, and will work hard on your case.
Which Decisions Do You Control During The Case? Which Decisions Are Controlled By The Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer?What may be surprising to you is this while certain of the decisions in a criminal case are yours, and yours alone, such as whether to take a plea offered by the prosecution, whether to go to trial, whether to be tried by a judge or a jury, and whether to take the stand and testify. Other decisions are your lawyers made with your input.
Here is the Colorado Rule That Governs This AreaColorado Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.2(a). Rule 1.2 Scope Of Representation And Allocation Of Authority Between Client And Lawyer
(a) Subject to paragraphs (c) and (d), a lawyer shall abide by a client’s decisions concerning the objectives of representation and, as required by Rule 1.4, shall consult with the client as to the means by which they are to be pursued. A lawyer may take such action on behalf of the client as is impliedly authorized to carry out the representation. A lawyer shall abide by a client’s decision whether to settle a matter. In a criminal case, the lawyer shall abide by the client’s decision, after consultation with the lawyer, as to a plea to be entered, whether to waive jury trial and whether the client will testify.
Tactical Decisions Versus Targeted DecisionsThe decisions of which witnesses to call, how to examine or cross examine a witness, when and how to object, and so on — are tactical decisions made by your lawyer. For these decisions the lawyer must know the case inside and out. For these tactical or targeted decisions as I call them -you must always tell your lawyer the absolute truth he or she needs all the facts the good facts and the bad facts.
Legal Fees The Cost Of A Quality Colorado Criminal Defense LawyerLegal representation isn’t cheap. A complex criminal trial may cost more than car, -some more than a house. When your very life, your reputation, and especially your freedom is stake, it doesn’t make sense to make comparisons between lawyers solely on legal fees. By the same token your case may not require the most expensive attorney in the state. That lawyer the high profile name actually may NOT be the best attorney to represent you. Make a decision that is right for you and your family… the superficial attracion of the flamboyant lawyer may impress your friends but may not translate into talent or a successful result.
Please call our law firm if you have questions about.
The Best Colorado Criminal LawyerH. Michael Steinberg has been a Colorado criminal law specialist attorney for 42 years (as of 2012). For the first 13 years of his career, he was an Arapahoe Douglas County District Attorney Senior prosecutor. In 1999 he formed his own law firm for the defense of Colorado criminal cases.
In addition to handling tens of thousands of cases in the criminal trial courts of Colorado, he has written hundreds of articles regarding the practice of Colorado criminal law and frequently provides legal analysis on radio and television, appearing on the Fox News Channel, CNN and Various National and Local Newspapers and Radio Stations. Please call him at your convenience at 720-220-2277.
If you have questions about The Best Colorado Criminal Lawyer in the Denver metropolitan area and throughout Colorado, attorney H. Michael Steinberg will be pleased to answer those questions and will also provide quality legal representation to those charged in Colorado with adult and juvenile criminal matters as regards The Best Colorado Criminal Lawyer.