Everyone does not need to hire a criminal appellate attorney. If you have reasons to hire one, it means you are past the trial stage and are not satisfied with the ruling delivered by the trial court. But it can be a challenge to find out the right criminal appellate attorney from amongst so many lawyers practicing out there. If you are not careful with the selection of your attorney, it can prove to be disastrous for your appeal. We tell you about what not to do when hiring a criminal appellate attorney.
Selecting an attorney based on only the fees charged
No one wants to spend extra money on something that they can get for much less. But this logic is not the best one to follow when you are selecting your criminal appeal attorney. If you select a lawyer who is the most inexpensive, it may cost you dearly in the long run. At the same time, going for the most expensive lawyer is also not a guarantee of success. So, the attorney’s fees should not be the main criteria for your selection. Note that having an experienced lawyer is the key to your successful appeal.
Hiring a lawyer without meeting in person
When you are selecting an attorney to represent you in an appellate court, you need to meet him or her in person to determine whether he or she is the right choice. Talking to an attorney over the phone and hiring him or her without even one direct meeting is not at all a good idea. An attorney may sound alright over the phone. But he or she may not be able to get along with you in person. So, be practical and have a face-to-face interview with the attorney before you take the final call for hiring.
Overlooking the attorney’s skills
A criminal appellate attorney must possess specific skills. You may be impressed with your attorney when meeting him or her in person. But that should not be the ground for overlooking his or her skills in handling appeals. To begin with, your lawyer must be excellent at writing persuasively. This is one of the most important skills for any criminal appellate attorney. Then, your lawyer must also be a very good orator. Without these two skills, your attorney may not be able to give your appeal the edge it requires. As such, do not rush into hiring a lawyer without being sure of his or her skills first.
Hiring an attorney after filing the appeal
An appeal is not about presenting any new strategy or evidence to strengthen your case. It’s about assessing the evidence already presented at trial and finding legal errors that can be used to overturn the ruling of the trial court. Your lawyer will need to go through all the transcripts of the trial in detail and then find the errors based on which he or she can write the brief. This task needs thorough research. That is why you need to hire your criminal appellate attorney before filing an appeal.