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12 Questions To Ask Your Potential Lawyer

Ask the question

Lawyers are no different than other people. There are good ones and bad ones just like there are good cooks and bad cooks. You can tell a bad cook by the taste of the food…how can you tell a bad lawyer? You can’t taste what the lawyer does…with some lawyers you can’t even see what they do…

A lawyer sells skill, experience, knowledge, and time. The lawyer has knowledge from training in law school, from reading about changes in the law, and from experience as a lawyer. Unfortunately, there is no sure way to tell if the lawyer you choose is competent.

One way to select a lawyer is by recommendation of a satisfied client. Be careful though, since no two cases are the same, even if your friend’s case was successful, it is no guarantee that your case will be successful. Also, lawyers have different personalities. The lawyer who works well with your friend may not get along with you. A satisfied client might be a good way for you to know that the lawyer has some knowledge and experience in the particular area of law that you need help with.

Another way to choose a lawyer is by reading advertisements, articles, an Internet Web site, or other information about a lawyer or written by the lawyer. In this way you can find out what areas of the law the lawyer has experience in. If the lawyer has written books or articles, you may want to read them to see how the lawyer discusses situations similar to yours. You might also contact a bar association to ask for a referral to a lawyer. Make sure the lawyer is experienced.

Here is a handy checklist of basic questions to ask before you hire a lawyer:
# What is your experience in this field?

# Have you handled matters like mine?

# What are the possible outcomes of my case?

# What are my alternatives in resolving the matter?

# Approximately how long will it take to resolve?

# Do you recommend mediation or arbitration?

# What are your rates and how often will you bill me?

# What is a ballpark figure for the total bill, including fees and expenses?

# How will you keep me informed of progress?

# What kind of approach will you take to resolve the matter – aggressive and unyielding, or will you be more inclined to reach a reasonable settlement?

# Who else in the office will be working on my case?

# Can junior attorneys or paralegals in the office handle some of the substantive legal work at a lower rate?

Make sure the person in charge of the office is a lawyer. Notaries, consultants, or others who are not licensed as a lawyer will sometimes pretend to be a lawyer. If you are in the office, look for the lawyer’s certificate on the wall. Since some licensed lawyers do not display their certificates, you can ask if the person is a lawyer. Look at the business card from the office. See if it says that the person is a lawyer or attorney.

If you are unhappy with your lawyer, you can change and go to another lawyer asking to have your case transferred. This may not be a good idea unless you are very unhappy since changing lawyers will usually cost additional fees and may increase the time needed finish a case

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Do You Really Need a Lawyer?

Need a Lawyer

Sometimes it’s a no-brainer, such as when you get sued or when you’re arrested or charged with a crime. But keep in mind that people hire lawyers for advice and expertise all of the time, in all kinds of situations. While you may be able to get through a legal problem without hiring a lawyer, you should always remember that when you represent yourself, you might have a “fool for a client,” as the saying goes.

One of the first things to ask yourself in deciding if you should consult an attorney is: “What’s at stake?” When your finances or liberties are in serious jeopardy, the obvious answer is to get legal help. But what is serious?

An ordinary parking summons is a brush with the law, but you need not consult with an attorney to pay the fine or even to fight it. However, if you’ve accumulated a number of unpaid parking tickets and a warrant has been issued for your arrest, you would probably want to hire a lawyer to help you best resolve the situation, and perhaps save you money or even keep you out of jail.

In good times as well as bad, individuals and businesses rely on their lawyer’s advice to understand and secure legal rights and financial interests. Lawyers help clients with estate planning and business negotiations, strategies and transactions. With good legal advice, clients are better prepared to comply with and navigate through the complex mazes of governmental rules and regulations.

It is also a lot easier to rest easily after consulting with experienced lawyers for important undertakings such as tax and estate planning, drafting wills and trusts, negotiating business deals and even pursuing personal family matters such as adopting children.

Before You Hire a Lawyer

It never hurts to talk to a lawyer, and it may be the best thing you can do if you think you have a legal problem that you can’t resolve yourself. If you’re persistent, you can probably arrange a free consultation with a lawyer who will talk to you on the matter.

Short of hiring a lawyer, though, you may want to look at alternative sources to resolve your legal issues.

    • Ask for references. You want to talk to people who could comment on the lawyer’s skills and trustworthiness.
    • Ask for a copy of a firm brochure and promotional materials. If they are available, crosscheck these materials against other sources and references.
    • Ask to be provided with a copy of the lawyer’s retainer agreement and have it explained to you before decide on retaining the lawyer or the lawyer’s law firm. You may end up paying a lot of money to the lawyer so make sure you understand what you are signing up for.
    • Use your common sense and gut instincts to evaluate the remaining lawyers on your list. You’ll want to be comfortable with the lawyer you hire. You will also want to choose the lawyer who you think will do the best job for you
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Slip & Fall On Snow Or Ice – Can You Get Money For Your Injuries?

Slip & Fall On Snow

Winter time inevitably causes people to slip on snow and ice. They dont wear the right shoes or boots, the driveway wasnt plowed and the street wasnt sanded. If you fall and injure yourself while slipping on snow or ice, can you be compensated (get money) for your injuries?

The short answer is maybe. In any snow and ice case we look to see what the condition was like at the time you fell. If it was the middle of a blizzard and nobody had time to clear the parking lot in the middle of the night, its not looking good to be able to prove that the owner of the property should have taken steps to clear the lot of snow and ice. The key to proving liability in a snow and ice case is whether the owner of the property knew of a dangerous condition and failed to timely act to correct it. This is called notice. If the owner didnt know about a dangerous condition, how can he be held responsible for your injuries? He wont be. But, what if the icy condition existed for a few days or weeks? Everybody who lived nearby always saw the ice and nobody ever salted or sanded the ice. In that situation we would argue that the owner of the property knew, or should have known, that there was a dangerous and icy condition on his property.

What if someone actually tells the owner of the property about an icy area of his lot and he doesnt do anything to fix the problem? Well, as long as nobody gets hurt, hes avoided a lawsuit. However, if someone does get injured at that location, after someone has specifically notified him of a dangerous condition, and he fails to correct the danger, then in all probability he will be held responsible for failing to prevent injuries at that location.

Sometimes, the owner hires a snow removal company (a snow plow) to plow the driveway, street, sidewalk or parking lot. In some cases, these snow plow companies dont do a good job and leave piles of snow in areas where they will melt, re-freeze, and then create sheets of ice throughout the property. If the snow plow or property owner knew that putting all that snow at the top of the hill wasnt a good location, there are some cases where the owner or snow plow operator will be held responsible for your injuries.

If you fall and are injured during the winter months it is very important that you do three things:

(1) Look around to see what you slipped on. Take a mental note about the conditions where you fell and the surrounding conditions.

(2) When possible, get photographs of the condition as soon as possible after you fell. This will preserve evidence of what the area looked like when you fell. Make sure you take at least an entire roll of film, from all different angles. Dont just take a picture of the ice. Look for a street sign, a building, and an address that can also get in the picture. This way you can positively identify the location where you fell, at a later date. If you use a digital camera do not ever make any changes or alterations to your photos when you provide them to your attorney.

(3) If you dont go to the hospital or a doctor immediately, you should report your accident to the owner of the property to put them on notice of your accident.

Injuries from slipping on ice or snow can be very serious and can include broken bones and the need for surgery. Take time to think whether this could have been prevented. Or was your fall simple carelessness that could have been prevented if you were paying attention to where you were walking? The answer is sometimes difficult to answer. Thats why an experienced injury attorney can help guide you and advise you about your legal rights. The longer you wait to speak to an attorney, the greater chance you have of forgetting important information that could help you in a potential case.

The best advice is to be careful while outside and to make sure youre wearing the right winter gear. But even that doesnt always prevent an injury.

Ice skating injuries – They happen. Its a fact. Even to experienced skaters. You will always see big signs posted at every entrance to every skating rink in New York that ice skating is a dangerous sport. The warning will say that you Skate at your own risk. That is the same as saying buyer beware!

What happened? The girl could not control the snowtube and went off the trail, tragically causing her death. Is the resort responsible for her untimely death? In all likelihood the answer is no. She engaged in a dangerous activity, in a prohibited and restricted area. The snowtube is uncontrollable- which is what makes it so much fun. However, snowtubes are typically used in special areas or chutes designed to keep the tubes in a runway style area, so that there is no way to run off a trail.

Many people have tried to sue skating rinks and ski resorts for injuries they suffered while engaging in these fun filled but dangerous activities. Most have failed. On occasion there have been successes, but those are the exceptions. Where you actively choose to engage in a dangerous activity and disregard the hazards and dangers associated with that activity (rock climbing, water skiing, sky diving), you run the risk of injury and the chance that you will not be able to bring a successful lawsuit for your injuries. But remember, every case is different. Let an experienced injury attorney evaluate your own case.

Be careful out there this winter, and have fun while you can.

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The Home Repossession Process

Home Repossession Process

Whenever you fail to keep up with the payments on a loan secured on your property, there is always the risk that the lender will take legal action to evict you. The process has a number of stages and can last a few weeks to a few months or longer. There is the possibility of stopping the process at any stage, so never think that it’s too late to bring your mortgage payments up to date. Remember it’s in mortgage companies’ interest to keep you in the property and paying the mortgage off; they will only turn to eviction as a last resort. The earlier you take action the more options you will have and the less you will have to pay in legal costs. There are special rules about the procedures that must be followed at each stage – if they are not, you may be able to stop or delay the repossession.

Reasons for Repossession

There has to be a sound legal reason to repossess your property. In most cases this will be that you have not kept up with the mortgage payments. A rarer case would be when a leaseholder would evict a freeholder for not paying rent or service charges. This is unusual, however.

The only other way in which you can be made to leave your home is if the Housing Executive or another public body makes a ‘ compulsory purchase order’ to buy your home. This normally only happens if a major local development, such as a road widening scheme, is planned. If you are in this situation you will be entitled to compensation.

Notice from your Lender

In the first instance, the lender would write to you asking that payments be brought up to date. A letter from the lender’s solicitor may come through threatening court action if the issue is not resolved. The next stage would be to write to you advising that a court order for possession has been applied for.

A Summons from the Court

The court will write to you telling you when a hearing is to take place. This is called a summons. When you hear from the court, if you have not already done so, you should get advice immediately about what to do next. It is very important to reply to the court. Failing to reply can harm your case. You should find a solicitor to represent you in court, as they can help you prepare for the hearing and to develop a defence.

The Hearing

At the hearing, the judge will hear from you and the lender and come to decision about what should happen next. Some of the options open to the judge include: allowing you to stay in the property provided you keep to certain conditions, such as repaying the arrears in instalments; giving you time to sell your property to avoid repossession or deciding that you should be evicted.

The Court Order

If the judge decides that you have to leave your home, the court order will set a date for you to leave. If you have not left by that date, your lender must apply to the Enforcement of Judgments Office before you have to leave your home.

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Five Important Aspects of Good Personal Injury Claim Advice

personal Injury Claim advices

Choosing a personal injury attorney can be as simple as a basic search on the internet. Suppose choosing the right personal injury attorney was just a matter of asking the right questions? That would make your task a whole lot easier.

If you have suffered injury due to an accident, you are entitled to claim compensation. You need access to good personal injury claim advice to help you win your full claim amount.

If you have suffered injury due to an accident, you are entitled to claim compensation. This is a sum of money awarded to you to compensate for the pain you have suffered, and reimburse you for the financial losses you incurred because of it.

As an accident victim, claiming compensation is your right. However, your insurance company will take advantage of inconsistencies in your claim and slash the amount it pays as compensation.

You need access to good personal injury claim advice to help you win your full claim amount. A lawyer experienced in personal injury would be the best source for this.

Below are the five important aspects of good personal injury claim advice:

1. Assessing the validity of your claim. You can receive compensation only if you can prove that you suffered injury because of someone else’s mistake. The validity of your claim is thus an important part of any good injury claim advice.

2. Calculating the amount of compensation. The amount of compensation differs from case to case. An experienced lawyer will study your case to give you sound personal injury claim advice on the maximum amount of damages you could ask for.

3. Ensuring correct filing procedure. A compensation claim needs to comply with precise legal procedures. A lawyer with experience in personal injury cases will advice you on the proper protocol required to file your claim.

4. Negotiating a settlement. As a claimant for compensation, you may receive an offer for settlement from your insurance company that is less than what you have asked for. Guidance on negotiating a good settlement is an important part of personal injury claim advice.

5. Filing a lawsuit. If you are not satisfied with the compensation you receive, you have every right to take your dispute to the court. Your lawyer will offer you competent personal injury claim advice to help you win the suit to recover compensation.

Not everyone has time to ask for referrals while choosing an attorney. Most people prefer to do a search on the internet but this is not a fool-proof method. Before you make your choice, you need to ask a few questions. Here are some criteria to select a personal injury attorney.

Experience in court

An attorney who has experience going to trial will be better able to represent you than someone who is new to personal injury claims.

Experience in handling similar cases

There are many different kinds of personal injury cases. If the attorney does not have experience in cases similar to yours, he might not be the best person to represent you.

These standards will give you a fair understanding of the experience and success rate of the personal injury attorney you are considering.

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Finding a personal Injury Lawyer

personal Injury Lawyer

Personal injury circumstances are critical matters and shouldn’t be taken lightly. These instances often induced grave damages reminiscent of everlasting incapacity to the injured particular person and even results in death. At this level, the service of a lawyer who specializes on this area is drastically needed to recuperate monetary damages akin to medical therapies, substitute completely lost income, and compensate for his or her pain and suffering.

Selecting a certified and experienced private injury lawyer is very important to boost the probabilities of receiving honest compensation. So if you’re a sufferer of a private damage you need to select the appropriate and competent lawyer to characterize you. In selecting the appropriate defender, you need to consider this stuff:

Your personal damage lawyer should be an professional in private damage law.Should be able to accurately assess the merits of a personal harm case, approximate its monetary worth, and determine the perfect technique for pursuing it. An intensive experience in the area should even be thought-about by the victim. And most importantly your lawyer have to be also up to date with the current and latest developments in personal damage law.

In choosing your personal harm lawyer, you also needs to think about his skilled in dealing with insurance companies. Since insurance firm legal professionals symbolize most personal injury case defendants.

Skilled in trial courtroom of your personal injury lawyer can be a bonus since, personally injury legal professionals generally acquire favorable settlements by threatening to take cases to trial. On this circumstances, the defendants are sometimes keen to pay out more cash to the plaintiffs to keep away from, destructive publicity, expensive trials and the prospect that a courtroom would award the plaintiffs more money.

Physical harm or psychological anguish attributable to actions or negligence of one other get together is an example of personal damage cases. These instances embody Auto Accidents, Defamation of Character, Product Defects and Medical Malpractice to name only a few. So in order for you an assurance that your personal injury case might cross in the eyes of the regulation contact a authorized skilled in your state now.

In case you have been a sufferer of negligence–carelessness by one individual or enterprise you should receive a just compensation for the damages that which were incurred upon you.

There are many ways a personal injury attorney can get compensated for the sustained work such as: a flat fee, an hourly tariff, contingency fees etc. However most of the lawyers tend to be rather expensive and many people who want to take their case to court cannot afford them. In these cases it’s possible to strike a deal with the attorney which will only get paid if the case is successful. In this instance a commission for the lawyer from the final compensation fee is agreed upon from the start.

The quantity of compensation is awarded based on the energy of your documentation and the gravity or diploma of injury. An expertise legal professional in personal injury regulation is really helpful with the intention to maximize your compensation within the face of the Insurance corporations, which usually defend such cases.

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Legal Methods Foreclosure Victims can Use to Save Their Homes

Legal

It is no secret that large mortgage lenders and mortgage servicing companies function more like enormous government bureaucracies than anything else. In such environments, mistakes are bound to occur, either by fraud or incompetence. Homeowners who have had foreclosure proceedings unjustly initiated against them, though, should know some legal tactics they can use to fight back against the process, whether they are actually behind on their mortgages or are the victim of a tragic mistake.

In most foreclosure cases, it would probably be best for the homeowners to hire an attorney to file any necessary paperwork with the courts. The main reason for considering this is that every state and county and court has its own rules of evidence and rules of procedure, and not following these rules can mean the homeowners’ paperwork is thrown out on some technicality, which would allow the bank to continue the unjust foreclosure. Getting the paperwork right and following the procedures correctly can mean the difference between winning and losing the case and winning and losing the home.

But one legal action may be getting an injunction against the bank for any further foreclosure proceedings until a hearing is scheduled to determine the merits of the case. This prevents the bank from trying to collect further payments, send representatives to drive by the house, send appraisers to determine a value, or ask the sheriff to change the locks. In effect, it protects the homeowners from further loss or harm during the legal process of foreclosure.

Also, filing a motion to dismiss the case for a failure to prosecute would be another tactic that could be used. The homeowners should take the paperwork they have that shows the loan was paid in full, including the final payment (either canceled check or confirmation number for online payment), or paperwork showing a repayment plan has been established and is current and speak with the judge presiding over the case. The judge can determine there is currently no legal basis for the proceedings and throw it out of court without it ever going to trial.

A final legal action is for the homeowners just to file an appropriate answer with the court to the lender’s complaint laying out the reason for the foreclosure proceedings in the first place. The judge will have to take into account the fact that the homeowners are claiming the loan has been paid on time or are working with the lender to resolve the situation and have submitted evidence to prove that point. But foreclosure proceedings can not be started against a homeowner who is paying the mortgage on time, regardless of how corrupt or incompetent the bank is acting. And many banks will simply keep going after the foreclosure, even if they have been shown there is no legitimate basis for it, so homeowners should be comfortable with having to answer the bank’s claims in front of a judge who can make a legal decision.

But again, these actions should be taken only if the homeowners understand the rules of the court. If they do not understand the rules, then they may want to hire an experienced attorney to file the paperwork for them, or to show them how it should be filed. Attorneys can be hired as “coaches,” in some cases, just giving advice on how to file motions and argue cases. That might be appropriate for some homeowners who wish to defend themselves in court, but can not afford the higher fees of having the lawyer take over the case completely.

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What can you do if you get harassed at work?

get harassed at work

What You Can Do

When you are deciding what to do, remember that every situation is different.There is no one best thing to do. You should always report the sexual harassment to your employer. You then have the option to use your company’s sexual harassment complaint process, file a charge with a state or federal agency, and/or go to court.

It is important to talk with a lawyer or legal services organization like Equal Rights Advocates to discuss your choices (see “Resources”).They can help you to understand your choices, their benefits and risks as well as the strengths and weaknesses of your case.

Say “No” Clearly

Tell the person that his/her behavior offends you. Firmly refuse all invitations.If the harassment doesn’t end promptly, write a letter asking the harasser to stop and keep a copy.

Write Down What Happened

As soon as you experience the sexual harassment, start writing it down.Write down dates, places, times, and possible witnesses to what happened.If possible, ask your co-workers to write down what they saw or heard, especially if the same thing is happening to them.Remember that others may (and probably will) read this written record at some point. It is a good idea to keep the record at home or in some other safe place.Do not keep the record at work.

Report the Harassment

Tell your supervisor, your human resources department or some other department or person within your organization who has the power to stop the harassment. If possible, tell them in writing. Keep a copy of any written complaint you make to your employer.It is very important that you report the harassment because your employer must know or have reason to know about the harassment in order to be legally responsible for a co-worker, client or customer’s actions. Even if your harasser was your supervisor, you may need to show that you reported the harassment to your employer or give a good reason why you didn’t.

Start a Paper Trail

When you report the sexual harassment to your employer, do it in writing.Describe the problem and how you want it fixed.This creates a written record of when you complained and what happened in response to it. Keep copies of everything you send and receive from your employer.

Review your Personnel File

It is your right to see your personnel file.If you work for a private employer, in certain states including California, you have the right to request and receive copies of everything in your file that you have signed.

Use the Grievance Procedure at Work

Many employers and schools have policies for dealing with sexual harassment complaints. You may be able to resolve the problem through this process.To find out your employer’s policies, look in your employee manual/personnel policies and/or speak to a human resources officer. It is important to follow your employer’s procedures.

Involve your Union

If you belong to a union, you may want to file a formal sexual harassment complaint through the union and try to get a shop steward or other union official to help you work through the grievance process. Get a copy of your union’s grievance policy and see if it discusses the problems you are experiencing. If you use your union’s grievance procedure, you must still file a complaint with a government agency if you want to file a lawsuit in federal or state court.

File a Discrimination Complaint with a Government Agency

If you want to file a lawsuit in federal or state court, you must first file a formal sexual harassment complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission your state’s fair employment agency. If you are a federal employee, follow federal guidelines on how to lodge a sexual harassment complaint.

File a lawsuit

After you file a formal complaint with the your state’s fair employment agency, you can also consider filing a lawsuit.You can sue for money damages, to get your job back, and you can also ask the court to make your employer change its practices to prevent future sexual harassment from occurring.

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Legal Advice on Selling Your House

Property Sale

Legal Advice on Selling Your House from experts can save a lot of labor on your part. It is not an easy task to set the price for your house, find out prospective buyer, negotiate the price of the house or property you want to sell and then to sell it. At times it is not possible to buy or sell your property, specially a house on your own as all the long drawn process of setting the price for the property, advertising for it, negotiating with the buyer and then selling it takes a lot of time and it is quite difficult for layman to do all these things in an organized way.

Once you hire an agent for selling your house he helps you in setting things right. But before all these the most important thing you need to do is taking legal advice on selling your house.

Before deciding the selling price of your house it is necessary to have legal advice on selling your house. You or your agent may have a better idea of what should be the ideal price of your property, but you may not know what the proper way to get the payment from the buyer of your house is. The legal advisor can help you knowing the right way to get the installments of payment from the buyers of your house.

The proper time of selling your house can decide a lot of things; especially how much benefited do you get after selling the property. Legal Advice on Selling Your House can help you in finding the best bargain for you. More over, they can tell you what is the exact time to sell you house. After all; your house is your asset, a source of money, since sold in a proper way. The Legal Advice on Selling Your House lets you know what is the correct time to sell your property. It must be sold at the time when there is a pool of potential buyers at the market.

There are several factors that have a direct bearing on whether somebody would like to buy your property or not. There are certain factors like, lower or higher rate of crime at the area the house you want to sell is located. Usually there is an 8 to 10 weeks gap between the buyer agreeing to pay a certain amount for the property they want to buy and the acceptance of the deal on the part of the buyer. The whole process of fixing deals related to the buying and selling of house and the completion of the deal can take quite some time. But if the entire process takes unusually long time due to some legal constraints, then the legal advisor for selling the house can help you out. Legal Advice on Selling Your House are in fact designed to reduce your trouble in fixing a deal for selling your house and get the best deal out of that.

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Public Defenders Advantages and Disadvantages

Public Defenders

If you’re accused of a crime and your liberty is somehow threatened (for example, with potential jail time), you’re entitled under the United States constitution to be represented by an attorney.

It’s important to have a criminal defense lawyer to represent you as soon as possible in the process, ideally at arraignment. A criminal defense attorney can:

– Challenge probable cause for arrest
– Negotiate plea bargains with prosecutors
– Discuss the pros and cons of going to trial
– Discuss the advantages and disadvantages
of pleading guilty instead of going to trial

Getting A Public Defender Appointed

If you can’t afford to hire a lawyer from the private legal community, the court can appoint a government-paid lawyer called a “public defender“- to represent you.

In order to have a public defender, you’ll have to convince the judge that you can’t afford to hire an attorney on your own. The judge may ask you to fill out a form detailing your financial resources, assets, income and debts. You may also need to provide the court with documentation such as paystubs to prove your income level.

Standards for how much money you can make and still qualify for a public defender vary greatly from state to state, and sometimes from one court to another.

In rural areas and in courts with meager resources, there might not be public defenders on staff with the court to represent you. In that case, the court will usually appoint a private attorney at public expense, or assign a private attorney from a volunteer attorney list to represent you.

If you give inaccurate information to the court in an effort to get a public defender appointed, you may be charged with the crime of falsifying information.

If the court decides you make too much money to qualify for a public defender, you’ll want to immediately start looking for a private attorney to defend you.

Disadvantages Of A Public Defender

One downside of being represented by a public defender is that these government-paid lawyers often have a huge overload of cases, and cannot devote a lot of time to any one case. As a result, you may have little or no access to your lawyer except during actual court hearings.

Public defenders also often lack office equipment and adequate research access, and can’t afford to hire investigators to properly flesh out your case.

A public defender also won’t be able to assist you with related civil law or administrative matters. You’ll need to hire a separate attorney to help you with these concerns.

Advantages of A Public Defender

Public defenders work with the same judges and prosecutors day in and day out, and get to know their personal quirks, peeves and tolerances. They also see the same police officers testifying, and know who’s likely to be a bad (and good) witness.

A public defender is likely to be very efficient at sizing up your case and presenting an acceptable plea bargain deal to the prosecutor and judge. As a result, you may be done with the criminal process and on with the rest of your life sooner than if you were represented by a private attorney.

Second Guessing Your Public Defender

Once you’ve been appointed a public defender, it’s often very difficult, if not impossible, to have your attorney replaced with another public defender.

If you’re having doubts about advice your public defender gives you, make an appointment for a “second opinion” consultation with a private criminal defense attorney. Most lawyers are willing to consult for a small fee, and you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing your public defender is on track.