How Do You Like Them Apples
I was grocery shopping the other day. My glasses fogged up, due to my mask, and impeded my sight as I attempted to visually select some prime apples. Unable to see through the fog, the task was a daunting one. How can I choose an apple if I can’t see them? It made me stop and wonder: if one were charged with a criminal offence, how does one select their lawyer, sight unseen?
If you or a family member have used a criminal lawyer in the past; and were happy with the representation, it could be as easy as contacting that lawyer. But many people have never been through the experience before and have no idea where to start or what to look for.
Today, most people will turn to Google or some other search engine. In fact, that search may have even landed you on this site. However, the difficulty with a searched list of criminal lawyers is that it is more likely to reveal who has paid money for Google Ad space than anything about a lawyer’s skill level and ability. Don’t get me wrong, like all business people we want to emerge on the first page of search results. That said, some are more focussed on marketing than others. Don’t be fooled. One’s outlook on marketing, or slickness of website layout, does not reflect one’s ability in a courtroom.
I do recognize the irony that my cautions against basing a decision on web presence are being presented in a blog on a website. Tha aside, I hope that most people would not go and buy a car simply based on an on-line ad assuring them they were getting a great deal. I trust they would go, look at the car advertised, and maybe a few others, and take each for a spin. When it comes to a defence lawyer, I am suggesting at least that…not a test drive, but a meeting or two to find the right fit. You should feel comfortable with the lawyer you choose and feel free to ask some questions about experience doing cases involving the type of charges you are facing.
Often, people will reach out to a lawyer they know who does not practice criminal defence law and seek direction. This is actually a path by which many clients come to me. Other lawyers may have some familiarity with, or know directly, which lawyers are skilled in other areas of practice and can refer clients in the right direction. Even with that kind of referral, you need to find the lawyer that is the right fit for you. You want someone in whom you feel confidence, not just someone who seems confident.
And when I speak of “confidence” I mean that on a number of levels. Confidence that they understand your position; confidence they have the necessary skills to fight for you; confidence that when they provide you with advice, it’s based on experience and knowledge. In short, you need to feel confident that you will get the best defence possible.
At Wolson Roitenberg Robinson Wolson Minuk, our lawyers have the experience and skill to give you the best defense possible. In that, you can feel confident.
