How to find a good criminal lawyer?
If you need a criminal defence lawyer, contact Dowsley Associates 24/7.
Being accused of a crime is a very serious issue. It creates distrust between the accuser and the accused and can lead to conflicting relationships between everyone involved, plus friends and family of both parties.
Finding a good criminal lawyer in Melbourne CBD is paramount for the accusation of a crime. Getting a good lawyer is often your best defence when facing a criminal charge.
Before anything else, it’s important to know whether your legal matter falls under criminal or civil law. While civil law covers disputes like contracts or property issues, criminal law deals with offences against the community, such as theft, assault, or drug charges. If you're unsure, speaking to a lawyer can help clarify your situation and get you on the right legal path.
Why is it important to get a good criminal defence lawyer?
Having a criminal record can mean it’s harder for you to stay employed, travel, and volunteer anywhere.
Having a criminal record will follow you around like a burden everywhere you go for the rest of your life, and your only chance of getting out of having one is by finding a good defence lawyer to represent you in court.
You can’t represent yourself as a lawyer, as there are thousands of Australian laws and legal procedures that lawyers learn from years of training and study.
How do you win a criminal case in court?
To have the best opportunity to win a case, you need someone to represent you who knows all the legal requirements of a court hearing.
You need a lawyer as they know the law back to front and can prepare the strongest case against your accuser.
To heighten your chances of winning the case, you can hire a lawyer to accompany you in a police interview if you have one before any court hearing.
Police interview
After an incident, the police may request a recorded interview to determine whether they think you should be charged with a crime.
If you are required to go to a police interview, be aware going into the interview that the police collect as much evidence, information, and witness testimonies before they interview suspects.
Never lie in an interview; the police will often bring up evidence after you tell conflicting information as a way to influence you into admitting the truth.
The police may be able to dismiss the charge, but your accuser can then still take you to court.
You may have a lawyer present with you, but before that, you should speak to one so they can tell you what to expect in a police interview. Among the most crucial things your criminal lawyer wants you to know is how to handle police questioning, what to say (and what not to), and when a ‘no comment’ response is in your best interest.
Additionally, our lawyers can advise you to do a ‘no comment’ interview (your right) or answer questions. This is one of the clearest examples of when to hire a criminal lawyer before your interview, so you can avoid saying something that might be misunderstood or used against you.
Court hearing
The number of times you need to go to court for a case can depend on:
The seriousness of the accusation
What you plead in court
The evidence you, the aggrieved, and any third parties have
If you have a history of committing similar crimes
If there are multiple accusers
If you plead guilty, there will probably only be one hearing.
If you plead not guilty you need to get a good defence lawyer who can help you maintain your status in society as a law-abiding citizen.
Speak to us today, as you may also qualify for Free Legal Aid Victoria.
How do I choose a good criminal defence lawyer?
If you are facing a criminal charge, you will need a qualified, experienced, and professional criminal lawyer to defend you.
To find a good criminal defence lawyer, you need to find someone with not only the right qualities and experience, but also someone with whom you have a good rapport with, demonstrating mutual trust and respect.
What makes a good criminal lawyer?
If you need a criminal defence lawyer in Melbourne, look out for the following:
Extensive experience
Not only does extensive knowledge of your area matter, but you want to know that your lawyer has had a range of past clients across a range of criminal offences.
Ask them how long they have been practicing law and how long they have been working for their current law firm.
It may also be important to explore how your criminal lawyer worked with clients in the same or similar situation as you.
JDA has several solicitors with experience in criminal law of over 10 years and some with more than 20 years’ experience.
Further we have accredited criminal law specialists within our firm.
Confidence and is well-spoken
Considering a lawyer’s job is to stand up in court and speak and persuade people professionally, you can easily test to see if you think they have this ability when sitting down and talking to them on a personal level.
Lawyers need to speak clearly and concisely with clarity and persuasion.
While an initial email may be a good way to get in contact, you should speak to your lawyer in person or over the phone too, so you can hear how confident and well-spoken they are.
Positive reviews and testimonials
A lawyer can certainly tell you about their successful history and past clients, but you should also explore their online reviews, public cases, and any other information that can help you understand how they have worked with their past clients.
Transparency and honesty
Your lawyer can NOT guarantee an outcome.
However, they should be confident, honest, and transparent. Their goal is to present you and your case forward with the best defence in order to maximise the chances of a favourable outcome.
Accessible
It shouldn’t be a chore to call, email, or otherwise get in touch with your criminal lawyer. JDA’s team of criminal lawyers are accessible should you have any queries or concerns during the criminal defence process.
We also have a 24/7 phone number so you can confidently call our team when you need urgent support or assistance.
James Dowsley and Associates are experienced criminal lawyers in Melbourne
James Dowsley and Associates have experience defending people for incidents involving a scope of criminal offences, so if you’re concerned about how to get out of a burglary charge or are searching for support following a traffic, drug, or theft offence, contact us now.
We are a professional law firm who has four buildings across Melbourne, so whichever part of Melbourne you live in, call us for a chat:
Melbourne CBD – (03) 8602 1400
Frankston – (03) 9781 4900
Dandenong – (03) 8788 5600
Our Frankston number is accessible 24 hours a day. Alternatively, you can request a free consultation.
So if you’re looking for fraud lawyers in Melbourne, or lawyers for traffic offences, drug offences, charges related to theft, or any other crime, contact our criminal lawyers now for immediate support and advice.