A felony charge can be one of the most serious criminal accusations that you can face. In addition to the risk of a lengthy jail sentence, there may also be expensive fines that will have to be paid. When individuals are needing to defend themselves against a felony, having accurate knowledge about this process and the challenges that are involved can be instrumental.

Do You Only Need to Hire These Professionals Once You Are Formally Charged?

A person may assume that it is pointless to hire a criminal attorney until they have been formally charged with a crime. Depending on the criminal charge that the defendant is facing, it can actually be beneficial to hire this type of representation during the investigative phase. This will allow the attorney to ensure that your rights are being protected and observed during this process.

How Can You Know Whether a Felony Attorney Is a Good Fit For Your Needs?

The process of choosing an attorney for your needs in the criminal case can be a fairly involved process. The defense strategies and techniques that are used to represent clients in these cases will vary significantly based on the type of crime that is involved. For this reason, you should meet with potential attorneys to determine whether they will be willing and able to take on your criminal defense case. In cases where the attorney lacks the relevant expertise for the defendant, they may be able to refer the client to another attorney that will be better suited to take on the case.

 How Do Felony Attorneys Charge Their Clients?

Individuals that are needing professional legal representation will often have concerns about paying for this type of assistance. However, the process of paying for a felony attorney will not be much different than what is needed to pay for other types of defense attorneys. Typically, the client will be required to pay a retainer fee to the attorney. This fee will essentially act as a deposit for the attorney's service. As the attorney does work to represent the client, they will take their hourly rate as well as any court fees from this retainer. Depending on the length of the criminal proceedings, it may be necessary for the client to replenish the retainer at some point as it may eventually run out. Luckily, the attorney should keep you apprised of the status of the retainer so that you can be prepared to replenish it when the time comes.