Try to find someone who cares. Find a lawyer that cares about your son's case more than he or she cares about collecting a fee. I once heard that people want to know how much you care before they want to know how much you know. I have built a practice without advertising because I would be a criminal defense attorney even if I did not get paid for it. If the attorney cares about you and your son then they will work hard on the case. Of course you can begin with your friends and family. Ask them if they know of a lawyer that has done a great job on a case. Whatever you do, do not rely on the top result of Google. Some lawyers that come up in the top search engine rankings may be fine lawyers. There are others who have simply paid to achieve top results. Try to get testimonials and referrals from people that you trust.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/28/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

You should always look for an attorney with experience in the charge filed. You can also check the calbar.org website for any ethical violations. The most important thing is finding someone you feel comfortable with representing your son.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/19/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Look for one who specializes in criminal law, one who is experienced, and one who is skilled. How do you know how skilled an attorneys is? The best way to do this is to ask questions, lot of questions, and make judgments based on the answers you receive.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/18/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

When deciding which defense lawyer to choose, it is important to consider the following: First, ask yourself: how do I choose a doctor, dentist or a mechanic? Start by researching the kind of case you have online; learn about your case so you can ask smart questions of the lawyer and also know what you can reasonably expect from the case (best and particularly worst case scenarios). You should also ask your friends, lawyers in other practice areas or people you respect in the community about criminal defense lawyers who are knowledgeable and respected in your community. With respect to DUI, learn about the chemical testing. You don't have to know the ins and outs, but you need to know what questions to ask and whether the lawyer knows what he's talking about. Next, you have to be prepared to talk to a lot of lawyers before you find the one with the right experience that you can work with. Its important that the lawyer be experienced with the kind of case you are facing. Its also important that you trust and can communicate with your lawyer and understand the lawyer when he communicates with you. Be prepared to ask the lawyer what discovery he plans to do, what witnesses he thinks you'll need, whether you'll need an expert for your case, whether there are any defenses he thinks he can raise, and what (if any) motions he anticipates running. The more comprehensive the answers the better the lawyer. Anyone who is impatient with your questions or dismissive of you is probably not the right lawyer for you. So far, this assumes that you have unlimited resources. If you do not, you can limit the money the lawyer costs by reducing the amount of experience s/he has. The less amount of experience, the lower the cost. Its hard to know the lawyers track record as its not printed anywhere and it can be deceptive as all cases are different and generally the outcome depends heavily on the facts of YOUR case. You can ask the lawyer how many of these cases (cases are differentiated by their statute: 187, 288a, 459, or by their general subject: DUI, possession, fraud) he's handled and how many he's taken to trial. Things to think about: Be leery of lawyers who over-promise what they can do based on your research. Be leery of lawyers who represent that they have an in with judges or prosecutors. Be leery of lawyers who aren't prepared to take your case to trial or who talk about negotiating the case down from the beginning. 95% of cases end in settlement, but the ones that end best for the defendant are the ones where the lawyer has prepared from the beginning to go to trial.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/16/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Look for someone who has the time to spend on the case and someone you feel comfortable with. have your son go in for a consultation to more than one attorney.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/15/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

I would look for an experienced defense attorney who handles DUIs as well as serious criminal cases. The handling serious cases is more important than the DUI, in my opinion.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/15/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Ask yourself 3 questions: 1) Will this attorney personally represent your son, or simply pass your case down to someone else to handle, with a different attorney each time looking at the previous attorney's notes?2) Does this attorney specialize in DUI, or does he/she take whatever walks in the door?3) Will this attorney lure you in on a low fee, only to do nothing but plead your son guilty or ask for more and more money?

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/14/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

In addition to possessing the necessary experience in the subject area of criminal / dui defense, you should seek an attorney who has a good reputation among his former clients, is punctual, personable, and available (i.e., promptly returns your phone calls).

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/14/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Look for experience with your type of matter, look for experience in the particular court. They need to also have experience with the DMV. You should consult with counsel ASAP. Make sure you feel comfortable with the attorney. Most give free initial consultations.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/14/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

In my opinion you should speak to every attorney and go with the one that tells you all possibilities, from best to worse case scenarios. That way your son is prepared for anything. Any attorney who makes you feel as if he is going to get you a certain deal, is not only lying to you, but is breaking the rules of ethics and you don't want an attorney like that.

Answer Applies to: California
Replied: 11/14/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.