When charged with a crime, more often than not, the cards and evidence are stacked against you. However the truth remains; you are still innocent until proven guilty. So what do you next and where do you turn for help?

The secret to finding your way out of criminal charges lies in choosing the right attorney. You need a lawyer who has experience in winning criminal cases. There are several very good lawyers out there but many rarely see a courtroom. Their job is to draft contracts, handle real estate closings, or deal with civil court cases. They are competent attorneys, but they are not trial lawyers.

My advice when facing criminal charges is to seek out an attorney who practices actual criminal defense. It is important to find an aggressive, hard-charging Seattle criminal lawyer who is willing to put themselves on the line for you and will focus on your case. A reputable Seattle criminal defense attorney will make your case their priority.

If you are charged with a crime you need a Seattle criminal defense lawyer, whether you are guilty or not. Here are some questions to ask potential lawyers:

• How long have you practiced law?

• How long have you practiced criminal law?

• How many criminal cases have you handled?

• How many criminal cases have you tried?

Of course, these are not all the questions you should ask a prospective attorney. There are other factors you may want to keep in mind. Some attorneys have practiced for years but that doesn’t make them any more effective than one with just a few years experience. Ask the Seattle criminal defense lawyer to describe to analyze your case and how they will defend it. Most lawyers won’t be able to fully answer these questions in the first meeting since they wouldn’t have all the information needed. They should, however, give a general idea of how to approach the case.

Stay away from a Seattle criminal lawyer who guarantees success. It is nearly impossible to efficiently evaluate a criminal case during in the initial interview. How can they if they don’t yet have all of the facts? A Seattle criminal lawyer should be able to provide a range of probable or possible outcomes which are best and worst case scenarios.

This is another reason why you need to be suspicious of guarantees of no jail time, or guarantees the case won't go to court. A trustworthy Seattle criminal defense attorney has no way of knowing in advance the outcome.