Practical Tips on Hiring the Best Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer

The short answer is that for potential clients the initial consultation is free and the cost depends on the facts of the situation. For more information, please consult our fees page.

Those are different words that mean roughly the same thing. Only lawyers in good standing with the Texas Bar Association can represent people in Texas.

To simplify, criminal lawyers deal with matters brought by the government that involve jail time and fines.

Civil lawyers handle matters involving money/other damages to people who were harmed by another but not involving jail or prison.

Family lawyers handle matters involving family relationships. It includes creating family relationships, like adoption or dissolving them like in a divorce.

Some situations have civil, criminal, and family law overlaps. There are some generalists, but in practice, often people are best served by seeing a legal specialist.

Bill Stradley is Board Certified in Criminal Law. He works with clients to determine what legal, investigative, and expert resources are needed for a particular case. He believes in collaborative solutions to get the best result possible. If he believes a client would be better served to see someone else, he will often give names of other lawyers to see.

The Texas legislature designates different crimes as felonies or misdemeanors. The primary difference between them is how serious the offense is and what the punishment is. Felonies are considered more serious, but both can have an effect on your life.

You can, but it is not advisable. Even attorneys should obtain representation from another attorney when charged with a crime.

An experienced criminal defense attorney often can get you a better result than you trying to defend yourself. They will be able to look at the law, the facts, and what court you are in and determine the best course of action. Even though misdemeanors are less serious than felonies, they can have consequences to your life.

For some people, a court-appointed attorney is their only option due to their financial situation. The quality of court appointed attorneys vary just as they can with hired attorneys. It can be difficult to know for certain the quality of your lawyer when they are appointed to you.

If you have an option to hire a qualified criminal lawyer, you are more likely to get more personal attention to your situation than with a court-appointed attorney.

In the modern world, anyone can put together a website and say they do criminal law. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization was created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1974 as a way to help consumers identify attorneys who are specialists in the different area of the law.

This is a link about why you should choose a Texas Board Certified Criminal Lawyer for your case. A Texas Board Certified criminal lawyer often charges the same as a non-Board-certified lawyer and may end up saving you money through their specialized expertise.

This is a link about some factors to consider when hiring a criminal defense lawyer in Texas.

The Texas Bar Association has some restrictions about what lawyers can advertise about themselves. However, those restrictions are not very limiting, and sometimes that leads consumers find the best web marketers online and not the best lawyers for their specific needs.

This is a link about how NOT to hire a criminal defense lawyer.

It is easier than ever to find excellent lawyers to handle your legal matters. Attorney advertising isn’t just seeing a name and a phone number anymore. You can look at attorney websites to learn about attorneys’ experience, credentials and background as described by them. There are attorney directories that for-profit companies put together, often charging lawyers a fee for preferred advertising.

The downside to this is that some of the claims can be confusing. Here is a link on how lawyer advertising works and doesn’t work and the important things to look for when choosing the best Texas lawyer for you.

We believe people are happiest with their choice of lawyer when they get a good fit for their needs and find professional counsel.