The process of going through a criminal appeal can be overwhelming, however having the right criminal appeal lawyer can greatly improve your odds of success. Appellate law is complex and requires specialized knowledge and experience; therefore a good attorney will make all the difference. Here’s how you can increase your chances of winning with a criminal appeal lawyer.
Choose A Lawyer Who Has Specific Experience
When choosing which criminal appeal lawyer to hire, look for one who has specific experience in dealing with appeals – not just trial attorneys. While trial lawyers argue legal mistakes made during trials, appellate lawyers do so based on procedural issues alone. Find an attorney who has successfully handled many different types of criminal appeals and knows how appellate procedures work inside out.
Verify Their Expertise In Criminal Law
A broad understanding of both criminal law as well as procedure is necessary when it comes to handling such cases because only then will they know what statutes apply where plea deals might have been offered before sentencing could even happen if there was any wrongdoing involved at all! Make sure that this person specializes primarily in these areas rather than solely focusing on higher court levels like state supreme courts or federal circuits etcetera since every jurisdiction has its own unique set of rules governing each level below them too so don’t skip over anything important here either!
Get To Know How They Plan To Handle Your Case
Not every attorney takes the same approach when it comes to handling appeals, meaning you need to discuss during your first meeting what their plan is for yours specifically – including identifying legal errors made by lower courts along with gathering evidence supporting those claims while also presenting persuasive arguments showing why they should be overturned upon review later down the line after careful consideration has taken place regarding all relevant factors involved therein beforehand.
Assess Their Research and Writing Skills
Written briefs and legal research play an important role in appellate cases. To create convincing briefs and find relevant legal precedents, a skilled criminal appeal attorney needs to be good at writing and research.
Look at Their Samples of Writing
You can see how well they write by looking at samples of past briefs or other legal documents. This will give you insight into their style of writing as well as how clearly they can express complicated arguments in law.
Talk About Their Fee Structure
Knowing what the lawyer charges is critical so there are no surprises later on when it comes time to pay them, plus this helps you figure out if you can afford to hire them or not. They may charge hourly rates or flat fees; ask about any extra expenses that might come up too.
Get It In Writing
Make sure that you have a written agreement that includes information about fees and other terms related to representation from your attorney. Doing so will help avoid confusion down the line while also ensuring everything is above board between both parties involved here.
Determine Their Commitment Level & Availability
A criminal conviction appeal can take quite some time, so make sure your attorney has enough dedication to helping with yours as well as being accessible throughout all stages involved during its course.
Examine What Caseload They Currently Have
Find out how many cases the lawyer currently has open along with whether they’re even available at all right now for new ones like yours specifically because otherwise, things won’t work out well together if otherwise! You want someone who isn’t too busy handling lots of different clients simultaneously but instead able to focus solely on yours only during these months ahead until it’s finally over with hopefully soon enough afterward!
Seek Out Professional Recognition And Awards
Professional organizations recognizing attorneys through various awards given each year serve as great indicators showing just how good those particular lawyers really are within their fields! If an attorney specializing in criminal appeals has received such honors before then they definitely deserve consideration for hire due diligence purposes alone here today!
Ensure a Strategic Approach Is Offered By Them
Legal issues often require strategic planning when dealing with successful appeals where identifying them becomes crucially important too so ensure this happens constantly without fail every single time always forevermore amen!!! A clear strategy must exist pertaining to trial error assessment development argument presentation case evaluation should take place effectively throughout the entire process leading up final verdict being delivered upon finding out who wins or loses eventually after much hard work done here beforehand already just waiting patiently now…