How to Find the Best Criminal Defense Lawyer
Oct. 26, 2021
Being charged with a crime is a very stressful situation because typically your whole life, including your freedom is on the line. If you have never been through the criminal justice system and are not familiar with how it works, it will only add to the stress and uncertainty.
Should you Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney?
Short answer is: Yes. If you are charged with a crime, you don’t want to go through it alone. A criminal lawyer can advice you of your rights and also provide you the peace of mind that you have someone on your side, fighting for you. If at all possible, you want to hire a private criminal defense attorney and not go with the public defender assigned to you. Public defenders have lots of cases and may be overworked.
You need an attorney on your side, someone who knows the system and the state attorney. The government (or the state of Florida) has a professional on their side. An attorney will know and can advice you on the complicated criminal laws and possible violations of your statutory and constitutional rights.
What Can a Defense Lawyer Do for Me?
A criminal defense attorney can do many things for you and can help you even if you think that you are guilty and don’t have a defense. A criminal defense attorney can for example:
Advice you of your options
Make sure the government / the state of Florida has the necessary evidence to prove the case against you • Negotiate a resolution on your behalf
Develop your defense
Check to make sure your constitutional rights were not violated
When Should you Hire a Criminal Defense Lawyer?
Immediately. Because when you are charged with a crime, time is not on your side. The court process and court dates will start immediately and you will want to be represented by an attorney at the court dates to ensure you do not waive important rights that you have, such as the right to a speedy trial without the advice of counsel.
In felony cases, there are several steps before the actual prosecution can commence on your case. First is the arrest and second is the state attorney filing charges. You do want to have an attorney on your side, who can talk to the state attorney before he or she will make a decision on what charges to file. In some cases, the attorney may be able to avoid charges from being filed or convince the state to file reduced charges.
Tips for Finding the Best Criminal Defense Attorney in Tampa, Florida
Find a Criminal Defense Lawyer who is Located in Tampa or the Tampa Bay Area.
If you are charged with a crime in the Tampa Bay area, you will want to hire an attorney who practices primarily in that area. An attorney whose office is located in Tampa or the surrounding counties and who primarily takes on cases in the county where your case is will be familiar with the judges and the state attorneys and will know what they are looking for and what works best to get you the best possible outcome. Every county and even every judge is a little bit different.
Look for an Attorney who Focuses Solely on Handling Criminal Defense and or Traffic Cases.
If you are charged with a crime, you will also want to hire an attorney whose practice is dedicated to criminal defense and traffic cases. An attorney who deals with the criminal laws and the judges and state attorneys on a daily basis will be more familiar with how to handle your case. This can ultimately make a big difference in the outcome of the case. I would not recommend hiring an attorney who handles all kinds of cases just because that attorney may have handled your divorce case or your personal injury case for you. The laws and even the process are completely different for civil and criminal cases.
How Much Does a Criminal Defense Attorney Cost?
How much it costs to hire a criminal defense attorney will depend on several factors, including the charge, your prior criminal record and the experience of the defense attorney. A misdemeanor charge will take much less time to handle when it comes to pretrial proceedings than a felony case and a lower degree felony will not take as much time as a more serious and more complicated felony charge involving many more witnesses.
If you don’t have a prior criminal record, it will usually take much less time to reach a desirable outcome than if you have a lengthy prior criminal history. And last but not least an experienced criminal defense attorney may charge more than a brand new inexperienced attorney because the inexperienced attorney may be trying to just take any case they can get to get money and build their practice.
Why Should you Hire the Wade Law Firm?
Local Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Attorney
If you are charged with a crime in the Tampa Bay area, including Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk County you should hire the Wade Law Firm. Kerstin Wade has an office in Tampa, just a few blocks from the Tampa courthouse and has more than 10 years of experience handling cases in the area, including Tampa, Brandon, Plant City, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Bartow, Lakeland and WinterHaven. She is very familiar with the judges and the state attorneys in the area.
Easy to Reach
If you hire the Wade Law Firm, you can rest assured that Kerstin Wade will handle your case personally instead of handing your case off to another inexperienced attorney. You will always be able to reach Kerstin Wade by text or phone call. You will be given her cell phone number so that you don’t have to worry that you may not be able to reach her in case of an emergency.
Experienced and Well-Versed on Criminal and Traffic Ticket Defense
Kerstin Wade focuses on criminal defense and traffic ticket defense. She has handled all kinds of criminal and traffic cases from a simple traffic ticket to complicated felony cases. On our practice area page, you can see more about what type of cases we handle, including:
Kerstin Wade is always available for a free consultation. Call 813-401-0130 today to see how Kerstin Wade can help you.