Another day here in Atlanta, and another high-profile federal criminal case in the newspaper. Although most of my work is doing federal criminal defense here in Atlanta, in Rome, Georgia (where the case in today’s paper is being handled) throughout Georgia and the rest of the country, I want to be clear: I am NOT involved in the case described in the attached article. However, seeing the case got me thinking about advice for people who need to hire the very best federal criminal defense lawyer for themself, a family member or for a loved one. Here are six thoughts and tips.
First (and last), experience is the key. I’ve written and spoken to groups in the past about this, but it cannot be over-emphasized: federal criminal defense is a speciality. Many truly excellent criminal defense lawyers are not skilled or schooled in the intricacies of handling a criminal case in federal court. These otherwise very good attorneys are at a disadvantage when their client gets indicted by “the Feds.” So, tip #1 is that clients and their families should make sure that the lawyer they are considering has a lot of experience in handling federal cases. Continue reading