Guide to Finding Tennessee Criminal Lawyer

Finding the Right Tennessee Criminal Lawyer

Criminal law is an especially heated topic anywhere. In this case, clients in Tennessee particularly have a dilemma in facing charges that could potentially fine them hundreds of dollars or even put them in jail for life. It all, of course, depends on the charges, the severity of the crimes committed.

All people, though, have rights. And for sure, even the accused has one basic right: the right to an attorney.

A good TN criminal lawyer can do a number of things for a client charged with a crime: make sure due process is followed, uphold life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, further support the legal system, and above all, to seek the truth, whatever it may be.

Because it has happened before to many people – sometimes a person accused of a crime actually didn’t commit it. And it would take a good Tennessee criminal lawyer to find out the truth and convince a jury and judge that the law needs to prevail and the accused be redeemed.

How Does One Find a Good TN Criminal Lawyer?

Easy. The correct kind of research. If only it were as easy as calling a plumber when there’s a leaky faucet or plugged drain…. The problem is a criminal case doesn’t even fall under the same league as plumbing problems!

In other words, if a client’s going to want a good Tennessee criminal lawyer, the client’s going to have to work hard in finding one. Even harder than using the plunger on that plugged drain.

Here are the steps to finding the right TN criminal lawyer:

• First Off, a Client’s Going to Need to Do the Correct Research

• Secondly, Calls to Set Up Free Consultations Are a Must

• Thirdly, Seeing These Tennessee Criminal Lawyers in Action Will Cinch It

• And Then Fourth, Cinching It Will Lead to the Ultimate Result

That fourth step’s result simply means the successful hiring of the best attorney out of a carefully selected shortlist of TN criminal lawyers. Now these steps may look pretty easy, but the bottom line is this: it’s not. Finding the right attorney in a list of Tennessee criminal lawyers is hard work.

So let’s start from the beginning: the research.

How to Research a List of TN Criminal Lawyers

To start, the phone book would be a nice way to go. Why? Because it’s easy looking up some Tennessee criminal lawyers in the Yellow Pages –

But only for the basic information. The fact, though, is that to start off with that’s all a client needs – the basic info. A client has to start somewhere, right?

What a client does not want is a list of TN criminal lawyers with ads that make over-hyperbolized promises with heavy language, overused exclamation points topped off with a cheesy 800-number. It almost sounds fattening, like an overstuffed cheeseburger.

No, the type of listings a client’s going to want to look for are simple: name, phone number (without the 800), e-mail address, web site URL, and definitely a physical address (for obvious reasons that shall be explored later on here).

Typically, for a good shortlist, a client needs to find at least five Tennessee criminal lawyers. But if that’s not possible in the Yellow Pages, there’s always the internet and friends and family to help out!

Either way a client finds listings, the benefit from all this research is learning about licenses from the State Bar Association, testimonials, referrals, articles, information on the law and what to expect in the particular criminal case. Really, the sky’s the limit. There’s no telling just how far a client can go before the next crucial step:

The All-Important Free Consultation

The next step a client must take is to schedule as many free consultations as possible. I’d venture to say that every attorney in the United States offers this. It’s almost standard policy, mandatory, acceptable, and exceptional.

Because it’s free, no charge. None whatsoever. The reason for a free consultation is a chance for the client to explain the case and determine whether or not the lawyer’s right for the job. In addition, any lawyer can get a sense of whether or not the case can be tried. And make no mistake: a good attorney will say so if the case is a no-go.

Some standard questions clients may ask include:

• How many clients do you represent?

• What kind of clients do you represent?

• How much do you charge?

• What kind of rates do you charge?

• How many years of experience do you have?

• How many cases have you tried?

• Where did you graduate from law school?

• Do you know of any other lawyers that can provide references?

• How many cases have you won?

• Do you have any reviews from prior clients?

In all honesty, there’s no end to the number of questions a client can ask. And all of them will pretty much benefit the client in some way. Either the lawyer will end up declining the offer to take the case, in which case the client scratches the name off the list.

But in the event that the lawyer says ‘yes,’ proceed to the next step:

A Client’s Going to Want to See These Lawyers in Action

By this time, the shortlist may have been reduced to two or three candidates. Obviously, these candidates would be the one who decided to take the case. Now these candidates would be waiting to hear from the client on whether or not the client’s going to go with any one of them.

The ultimate way to decide that is to see these lawyers work in the court room. Visit the courthouse during a hearing where any of the lawyers on the list are representing a client of theirs and watch how the lawyer applies his or her knowledge of the law in action.

It can say a lot about whether or not the attorney’s able to make it work for the client. This is especially the case if the, well, case is similar to the observing client’s case.

I’d venture to say that there’s no doubt the client can come to a successful conclusion –

Leading to the Choice

Hiring the lawyer. That’s how it all ends.

Fortunately, once the lawyer is hired for the criminal case, that’s when it all begins. And hopefully that will end well. A client can only hope that the truth will prevail.