1. Does the Lawyer Specialize in Criminal Defense?
• Many attorneys call themselves “criminal defense attorneys” … most attorneys really have no business being in the game.
• Do your research – there are many ways to find out about a local criminal defense attorney … from online research to asking local civil attorneys the reputation of the attorney you are going to hire.
• Don’t hire a “low level” criminal defense lawyer. Many criminal defense attorneys only take on small cases including DWI and low-level assault and drug cases. It is important that if you are dealing with a serious State or Federal criminal charge, you hire a firm whose lawyers are experienced in this area of the law.
2. Track Record of Success?
• How long has your lawyer practiced law?
• How many jury trials have they had? The sad part about this business is that while many lawyers label themselves as “criminal defense attorneys,” a very small percentage of those attorneys regularly take cases to trial.
• Your lawyer must be a “trial lawyer” … you will want to make sure that your potential lawyers have a track record of successful jury trials because the prosecutors who are trying to throw you in jail know which attorneys have the guts to try a case and which don’t.
• How many “not guilty” verdicts has your lawyer obtained?
3. Board Certified as a Specialist?
• Board Certified Criminal Defense Attorneys are the “best of the best” … you can assure yourself that you have a great lawyer if they are certified.
• Is the lawyer that you might hire certified as a “Criminal Law Specialist” by the Minnesota State Bar Association? Less then one percent of all criminal defense lawyers in Minnesota are certified as a “specialist” in the area of criminal defense and litigation.
• Being certified as a specialist means that that the attorney has had a significant amount of jury trials, that the lawyer has an excellent reputation with judges and prosecutors, and that the lawyer has never been disciplined by the Minnesota Board of Professional Responsibility.
• Ryan Garry is certified as a “Criminal Law Specialist” by the Minnesota State Bar Association. Ryan has had significant jury trial experience in both State and Federal Court. It has been said that an experienced trial lawyer must have the ability to look calm and in control even when things are coming unglued … if you are looking for the best of the best, you are in the right place.
4. Don’t Bargain Shop: Attorneys Are not All the Same.
• Unfortunately like anything else in life … for the most part you pay for what you get in the world of private criminal defense.
• Defending someone of a serious State or Federal crime takes many hours of work, research, and investigation. If you value your freedom and liberty, perhaps hiring the cheapest criminal defense attorney is not the brightest idea.
5. Do You Like the Attorney You Might Hire?
• Is the attorney you are going to hire a good person?
• The public persona of a criminal defense attorney is one of a bulldog who marches in the courtroom and demands a dismissal. While that may sometimes (yet rarely) be the case, the reality is that an excellent criminal defense attorney is someone who is confident without being cocky and is generally a likeable person.
• A judge or jury is more likely to give relief or suppress evidence on a case represented by a respectable lawyer than a lawyer who is not. If you like the attorney, most prosecutors and judges probably respect that attorney as well.
• Does the lawyer make you feel comfortable and is that lawyer empathetic to your situation? For the most part, most clients that come to Ryan and his team are in the most desperate and difficult part of their lives. They are often embarrassed, depressed, and fearful of what the future holds. The lawyer you hire should be sensitive to those feelings and give you some sense of relief.
At Ryan Garry, Attorney we have a dedicated staff of attorneys, legal assistants, and law clerks, as well as a number of seasoned private investigators that have decades of law enforcement experience. Our team of lawyers, investigators, legal assistants, and law clerks work in sync to aggressively defend our clients. Our record of success at www.ryangarry.com shows that time and time again we secure complete pretrial dismissals and not guilty jury verdicts, and we’d love to do the same for you.
If you have further questions please call us at (612) 436-3051