If you find yourself facing criminal charges, it’s important to understand the key distinctions between different types of legal representation so you the right choice. The role of a criminal lawyer is quite different from a public defender or appointed counsel. Private criminal lawyers focus exclusively on criminal defense, usually handling only these types of cases for their entire careers. Their decades of specialized experience equip them to quickly identify winning defense strategies. Public defenders juggle many different case types with less ability to specialize.
Resources to conduct thorough investigations
best law firm in brampton have the resources and expertise to comprehensively investigate the facts of your case by interviewing witnesses, visiting crime scenes, collecting physical evidence, submitting documents, and more. Public defenders handle such high caseloads that their fact-finding is often cursory.
Time to dedicate to your defense
Top criminal attorneys are selective about which cases they take on so they devote substantial time to each client. It allows them to pursue every angle to build the strongest case. Overloaded public defenders only spend a fraction of that time on each defendant.
Level of passion and personal attention
The criminal lawyers, defending rights and freedom are a deep passion and calling. They provide one-on-one attention and truly champion every client. Public defenders manage so many cases that personal attention is limited, making it feel more like an impersonal processing of cases.
Customized defense strategy
Private criminal attorneys meticulously craft a defense strategy tailored to the unique circumstances of your case. Public defenders generally rely more on established boilerplate arguments and limited options due to time and resources. Seasoned criminal lawyers spend years developing close working relationships with local prosecutors and judges, allowing them to negotiate more effectively. Public defenders have less leverage in plea bargaining and sentencing recommendations.
In-depth experience handling trials
While most cases settle, if trial is necessary, private criminal attorneys have much more extensive trial experience to draw upon. Public defenders typically plea bargain the vast majority of their cases with relatively few trials under their belts. The best criminal defense lawyers bring creative problem-solving and analytical thinking to develop innovative arguments and strategies prosecutors may not anticipate. The already strained public defenders are often forced to rely on routine approaches.
Top-notch criminal lawyers have access to more sophisticated legal research tools, databases, reference libraries, and assistants to uncover influential case law and statutes. Public defenders have comparatively limited resources.
Assemble specialized teams
Leading criminal defense firms have networks of respected forensics experts, private investigators, and other specialists they tap to strengthen your case. Appointed counsel have much less opportunity or funding to assemble teams. Esteemed criminal lawyers are willing to aggressively fight every charge and maximize leverage to get cases dismissed or charges reduced through exhaustive negotiations. A busy appointed counsel more readily encourages plea deals and minimized sentences.
