Hiring The Services Of A Criminal Defense Lawyer

Law
Source: Roy Blumenthal, cc-by-3.0, flickr

Being charged with a crime can have devastating effects on one’s life. It can jeopardize your social status, your employment opportunities as well your future plans. The whole process of a trial can be really confusing and if you are not aware of the charges initiated against you and of your rights to defend, chances are that you could end up receiving severe punishment for the offense you have been charged with.

Using the services of a criminal defense lawyer is beneficial and helps you be better prepared for the trial. A good criminal defense attorney can help develop a good defense plan, thus increasing your chances of being successful in your attempt to dismiss the trial or seek a trial for a lesser offense (for example, reducing a felony to an act of misdemeanor).

A criminal defense lawyer can also:

• Challenge your arrest by the law officers if the arrest is based on a probable cause.
• Initiate the plea for releasing you on bail.
• Help negotiate with your prosecutors.
• Guide you on what punishment can be expected at the end of the trial and the merits and demerits of pleading guilty to your charges.

When to hire a criminal defense lawyer?

In cases such as over speeding or DUI where the arrest could take place on the spot, you may not have adequate time to consult with a lawyer before the arrest. However, if you are aware of the possibility of your arrest in an ongoing criminal investigation, it is wise to hire the services of a criminal defense lawyer in advance to prepare for a possible arrest.

If you do not have a defense lawyer when your arrest occurs, you would be informed of your right to hire an attorney by the police. Do not hesitate to make use of your right if you plan to challenge your arrest due to a probable cause.

An arrest is usually followed by an arraignment where the charges framed against you are presented in an open court. During an arraignment, you have the opportunity of challenging the charges and pleading your innocence. You also have the chance to initiate a plea bargain for pleading guilty to a lesser crime. Make sure that you have decided on your attorney before the stage of arraignment and discussed with him/her on the strategy to adopt for your defense during the trial.

Things to consider while hiring a criminal defense lawyer

Hiring a criminal defense lawyer in such circumstances can be a daunting task. However, you need to ensure that the defense lawyer you are hiring has adequate experience in handling the type of cases involving the offense charged against you .You may seek the help of your friends or family in choosing your defense lawyer. You can also use lawyer directories such as FindLaw to hire an experienced criminal attorney in your local area. Since the laws and penalties for a crime vary from state to state, make sure that your lawyer has enough expertise in handling cases in your state and local courts.

You may also wish to know if the fee charged by your attorney is affordable and justified considering the nature of the offense charged against you. If you cannot afford to hire the services of an attorney, you also have the option of seeking the services of a state or government appointed criminal defense attorney to represent you in the trial.

About Author:

Daljit Rakkar is an attorney and writer specializing in leagal,career and business topics.He has published many law related articles in web based media and serves as defense attorney at Law Men,Fresno leading defense law firm. You can follow him on Twitter at DaljitRakkar.

Read More...

Protecting Your Assets From Different Types Of Personal Injury Suits

Accident
Source: Phillip Pessar, cc-by-3.0, flickr

In the event that an incident occurs or an unfortunate event unfolds, someone might fall victim to an injury and be owed compensation.  With so many different types of claims and personal injury cases, your assets and savings could be at risk from a number of different rulings.. There are many different types of personal injury claims that can be found and you should talk to your attorney to discuss what type of personal injury pertains to your case and how you should proceed. Here is some information that you need in order to fully understand a personal injury claim.

Defective and Dangerous Products

In these types of cases, someone is injured while using a product that turned out to be dangerous and defective due to the way that is marketed or manufactured. There are federal laws that require manufacturers to compensate those who have been harmed due to damaged or defective goods. In order for the product to be considered defective, it must be proved that the manufacturer did not take the right measures ahead of time to ensure that the product would be able to be used for the intended purposes safely.

Animal Attacks

Another type of personal injury claim that you may be faced with is animal attacks. Many people just think about dog bites for these types of claims, but it can also include attacks by domesticated animals, birds, cats, and ferrets. There are different laws that are in place in each state in terms of how the owner is liable for the injuries that are caused by their pets so it is best for you to discuss your rights with a personal injury lawyer to make sure that you are following all the laws in your state and getting compensated accordingly.

Premises Liability

For premises liability claims, the person who was injured will have suffered the injury while on the other person’s property. Some examples of these types of injuries include falls and slips, slippery floors, and even loose stairways. These injuries can occur at a business or at someone’s own home depending on the state that you live in and the laws that are applicable there. Often it will depend on the laws concerning owner liability in the area.

Wrongful Death

Wrongful death is something that no one wants to deal with and the person who caused this kind of death should be held responsible for what they have done. If someone has died and it is believed to be due to the negligence of another party, those who are related to the deceased will sometimes have the option of getting monetary damages. Each state will have different laws that pertain to claims of wrongful death. A personal injury lawyer is your best resource if you believe someone has suffered a wrongful death. They will be able to explain the laws of your state and help you to determine if a wrongful death claim holds any weight in your case.

Jennifer is a blogger for The Loewy Law Firm, a personal injury attorney out of Austin, Texas.  She has been thankful enough to not need a personal injury lawyer herself.  

Read More...

Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Personal Injury Attorney - Attorney’s Qualifications

Claim Compensation
Source: San Luis Obispo, cc-by-3.0, flickr

One of the things that makes up a huge portion of the decisions in your personal injury case is hiring the best lawyer for your needs. Before you get started on a case with a lawyer, it is important that you take the time to sit down and determine exactly what your claim requires and how a personal injury lawyer can meet those needs. There are some important questions that you should make sure to ask in order to assure yourself that you are hiring the right attorney to meet your needs. Here are some of the best questions that you can ask to get started right away.

What are the Attorney’s Qualifications?

The first question that you should be asking is about the attorney’s qualifications. Not all of the lawyers that you can work with will have the same education or experience to back them up. You do not want to get to the case and find out that the lawyer that you have hired is just out of school, has never dealt with a personal injury case, or has not worked with your particular type of case. Some of the things that you should find out about include how many cases your attorney has dealt with and how many of these they have won. In addition, figure out which side of the case the attorney has been on, such as the defendants or the injured party and what area of personal injury they have worked on in the past.

What Process Will Be Gone Through?

Your attorney should be able to answer what the process will be like in order to get through your personal injury case. You can ask your attorney what issues they expect may come up, how they would handle certain situations that may come up, and approximately how long the case may take.

How Much are the Services?

Every attorney will charge a different amount for handling your case and it is a good idea to find out how much you will be charged along with the terms of the agreement. Ask about a retainer and if you will be able to get any of it refunded if the firm does not use all of the money. Ask if the attorney will use witnesses and if you will be expected to pay for these witnesses. See if you can get a bill that is itemized from your attorney so that you are able to keep good track of how much it is all costing you.

One option that some attorneys may offer is to work on contingencies. During this, the attorney agrees to represent you for free during the case with the understanding that they will make a percentage of the money you receive at the end of the case. This can save you a lot of out of pocket expenses during the case.

Will the Attorney Handle the Case?

Another thing that you should check on is who exactly will handle the case. There are some firms that will send in an experienced lawyer to answer your questions and then your case will be handed down to a different, junior lawyer. If the case is going to go to another lawyer, then you should take the time to meet with them as well to discuss the case.

Jennnifer is an up and coming legal blogger for The Loewy Law Firm from Austin, Texas.  Her understanding of Personal Injury Law is growing rapidly.  

Read More...

Useful Tips For Filing a Lemon Law Claim | Notify the Dealer in Writing

Lemon Law
Source: Axion, cc-by-3.0, flickr

If you have recently purchased a car or other vehicle that started breaking down or showing all sorts of problems just days or weeks after the purchase was made, you may be eligible to file a lemon law claim. There are federal and state laws that allow you to file a claim against the manufacturer of the “lemon” vehicle you purchased. If you win your claim, you should get a replacement for the defective vehicle or be refunded the original purchase price. Below we've listed some useful tips that can help guide you through the process of filing a lemon law claim.

Hire an Attorney

It is advisable to hire an attorney to help you file your claim. You should be able to find an attorney who specializes in lemon law claims in your state. Experience with lemon law claims is very important, so talk to a few attorneys and ask them about the claims they've handled and the outcomes they achieved.

Go Back to the Dealership

Before filing a claim, take your car back to the dealership to see if they can repair it. There may be just minor problems with the vehicle that are easy to fix. In most states lemon laws state that the buyer has to give the dealer the opportunity to repair the vehicle before the vehicle can be deemed a lemon.

Notify the Dealer in Writing

Most state laws say that you have to notify a dealer in writing that you intend to declare the vehicle you bought a lemon and are filing a claim. This notice should contain your contact information, information about the car (such as the VIN, make, model and year) and a description of what is wrong with the vehicle.

Go to the Arbitration Board

In many states you need to go to the arbitration board before you can actually file a claim in court. The arbitration board will help you seek a solution for your problem so you don't have to go to court. If no resolution can be found, you may file a lemon law claim in court. In some states you can file a claim in court without needing to go before an arbitration board first, though it is advisable that you do try to resolve your case through an arbitration board.

If no arbitration boards exist in your state, you can use a third party arbitrator, such as Better Business Bureau's Autoline.

Get the Proper Paperwork

If arbitration is unsuccessful you need to get the right paperwork to file your lemon law claim. An attorney can help you retrieve the paperwork you need and fill it out correctly. Otherwise just go to your local clerk to get the paperwork.

Once your claim is filed, there will be a number of hearings you need to attend and you will have to state your lemon case before a judge. Eventually there will be a hopefully favorable verdict and you'll get a new vehicle or be compensated for the purchase price. In most states you'll also be able to recover the money you spent on an attorney if you win your case.

Zane Schwarzlose is a writer at the Law Offices of WT Johnson, a personal injury law firm in Dallas, Texas. Zane is glad he's never had to file a lemon law claim.

Read More...

Using Mobile Applications For Organization In Your Law Firm

Law School
Source: Tulane Public Relations, CC-By-3.0, Flickr

Staying organized can be a tough task today, especially with the continuous flood of information. It can be easy to get overwhelmed. Especially, if you don't have any system of organization. The good news is that with the amount of mobile apps available today you'll be able to organize your business and life faster and easier than ever.

In this article we're going to cover the benefits to why you'll want to be using mobile applications for organization as well as a few apps you should begin to utilize starting today.

Why should I be using mobile apps for organization?

As technology becomes more and more ubiquitous, you'll want to integrate it into your life sooner rather than later. By using mobile apps to organize yourself and business you'll always be able to keep tabs on whatever is going on as long as you have your phone in your pocket.

Being able to manage everything from a small device will come in handy and be much easier than any system you're currently using. As mobile applications continue to develop they will only become better and cater to their users needs in a more efficient manner.

What are some examples of apps I should be using?

There are so many apps to choose from it can be easy to get overwhelmed, so we're going to focus on a few apps you can use right away:

1. Wunderlist

Wunderlist is a free to-do list app that manages all of your tasks in the best possible way. You can create sub-tasks, and the app also hides what doesn't need to be shown for the task at hand. You can even have others in your practice or business use this app, and send tasks for them to complete.

2. Expensify

Expensify allows you to take pictures of any receipts or documents you might need to save for any of your expense reports. It also syncs with Quickbooks so you'll be able to manage your finances very easily. You don't want to have a bunch of receipts lying around, snap a quick photo and get them filed away all through your phone.

3. Dragon Dictation

Dragon Dictation allows you to talk instead of tying or texting. This can save you plenty of time, especially if you're a slow typist. Through this app you can make calls, set appointments and send text messages.

4. Base CRM and Sales Tracking

It can be confusing to track all of your lead data, with this app you'll be able to see where all of your leads come from, as well as all of their information in one place. You can even manage each different level of the sales process.

5. Sprout Social

If you have a variety of social media accounts it can be hard to keep track of everything. By using this app you'll be able to see what's going on within each platform, as well as manage and post content.
I hope this article has been helpful and you have a better understanding of what you can be doing to stay organized. There are so many ways to keep track of your business and life, however, with all the apps available it becomes easier to stay on top of everything. All you need is a phone and you'll be able to keep track of your life efficiently and effectively.

Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkwilliams/2013/02/07/10-mobile-apps-to-organize-your-business/2/

About Author:

Zane Schwarzlose is a writer at Carroll Troberman Criminal Defense, a criminal defense law firm in Austin, Texas. Zane uses a few note-keeping apps to keep organized.

Read More...