Edward Chernoff talks about the cost of a criminal defense attorney and what factors you consider when hiring a lawyer.
You should choose a lawyer based on ability and experience, on reputation. There is a big difference between a lawyer who's been board certified in criminal law and has been doing this for twenty, twenty five years than a lawyer who is doing it as a hobby or a lawyer as a last resort is handling criminal cases. Hire the type of lawyer you want standing next to you in court, first. Through the years we have done a pretty good job of making a determination at Stradley, Chernoff and Alford of what a criminal case is worth, in other words, how much money is needed to perform the service that the client wants us to perform. We don't charge too much, we don't charge too little. We know what to charge. I think if you look at the quality of lawyer first, you will find that the fees, no matter how many lawyers you interview with that kind of quality, the fees will be relatively comparable. I know that people who are arrested or their loved ones, they don't put money aside for the day they need a criminal lawyer. There is not a Christmas fund for criminal lawyers and we understand that, and we try to make our fees reasonable, provide payment plans for our clients; credit cards are accepted. You may be surprised at how affordable we can be. |