Any mistake during the early stages of your interaction with the legal system can result in serious, lifelong consequences. Immediate access to a 24-hour lawyer for criminal defense in Minneapolis, MN, can help calm the situation and improve the likelihood of a desirable outcome.
You can find a reliable 24-hour criminal defense lawyer through referrals, searching on local online directories, or visiting your local bar association website. You can then schedule an initial consultation with your prospective lawyer and ask questions to assess if that lawyer is the right person to handle your case.
Call (952) 913-1421 to seek legal help from one of our 24-hour lawyers at Keller Criminal Defense Attorneys if you have been arrested or charged with a criminal offense in Minnesota.
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Why You Might Need a 24-Hour Lawyer for Criminal Defense in Minnesota
A 24-hour lawyer for criminal defense may be necessary in certain situations, including:
You Are Expecting a Police Interrogation
Police officers may question you if they are investigating you for a crime. Get a lawyer involved immediately after you receive a call to appear at a police station to record a statement.
The officers may be gathering more information to ensure they have probable cause to arrest you. So, don’t trivialize the situation just because you are yet to be arrested.
The presence of a knowledgeable lawyer during the interrogation can help safeguard your rights. You might say something during your interrogation that could incriminate you. Your lawyer will help you prepare for questioning and intervene when the interrogating officer tries to trick you into implicating yourself.
Hiring a lawyer does not mean you are guilty. Many people are serving prison time for crimes they did not commit. In fact, over 1,000 prisoners who believe they were wrongfully convicted have submitted their applications to Minnesota’s Conviction Review Unit.
You have Been Arrested
During and immediately after an arrest are usually emotionally charged moments. You may not know your next course of action. However, try to stay calm and contact a 24-hour lawyer for criminal defense as soon as possible.
Your lawyer can take you through the charges you are facing, your legal rights, and how to conduct yourself while in custody. The lawyer will help you get ready for the initial court appearance. The lawyer will also push to have you released on bail and ensure the bail conditions are reasonable.
You Have Experienced an Illegal Search and Seizure
You have a right to be free from an unlawful search and seizure. In other words, a law enforcement officer cannot search your property without your permission or a valid warrant. An exception to this rule applies when the officers have reasonable cause to believe you have engaged in a criminal activity or that proof of a crime is on your property.
Hire a lawyer immediately after a search and seizure you suspect is unlawful. Your lawyer will evaluate the details of the incident to determine if the police broke the law. If so, your lawyer will request the court to suppress any evidence acquired through the unlawful process.
Questions to Ask When Hiring a 24-Hour Lawyer
The criminal defense lawyer you decide to hire influences the outcome of your criminal case. You need to be sure that the lawyer you hire has the relevant qualifications and skills to help you win your case or at least get a satisfactory result. You can achieve that by asking the following questions when hiring a 24-hour lawyer for criminal defense:
Do You Provide a Free Initial Consultation?
An initial consultation with a lawyer is crucial for an in-depth review of your case and familiarization with the details of the alleged crime. It is easy to determine if a lawyer is a perfect fit for you by checking his or her website. A phone or face-to-face consultation allows your lawyer to examine the charge sheet, assess details of your arrests, and look into your criminal history.
Once the initial consultation is complete, your lawyer will have the required information to provide carefully considered responses to questions you have concerning your case. You will also be in a position to determine if you have confidence in your lawyer’s capabilities.
Accomplished defense lawyers understand the value of an initial consultation and often offer it free of charge. So, ask your potential lawyer whether he or she offers a free initial consultation. If not, look for a lawyer who does.
Does Your Practice Focus on Criminal Defense?
A law license permits lawyers to take on cases throughout the state. This explains why we have so many general practice lawyers – legal professionals who do not restrict their practice to a specific area of law. So, find out if your 24-hour lawyer has focused his or her practice on criminal law.
When facing jail time, fines, reputation damage, and other hidden effects of a criminal conviction, you should hire a lawyer whose practice mainly focuses on criminal defense. An attorney who has handled many cases like yours will know the common criminal defense strategies and how to tailor a defense strategy to your situation.
How Long Have You Practiced Criminal Law?
Experience in criminal defense betters the odds of a successful outcome in a criminal case. A lawyer with many years representing criminal defendants will be familiar with local prosecutors and judges.
The lawyer knows which defense strategies and arguments may catch the attention of a judge. The lawyer also understands which negotiation strategies to use for different local prosecutors.
How Do You Handle Discovery?
A lawyer who understands the importance of conducting criminal defense investigations will have a unique approach toward discovery. Perhaps the lawyer will subject prosecution witnesses to depositions. Maybe the lawyer will enlist the services of a private investigator to uncover additional evidence. The lawyer’s response to this question will give you an idea of how the lawyer intends to handle your case.
What Is Your Communication Style?
Facing a criminal charge and dealing with an unresponsive lawyer can be frustrating. That’s why you should consider communication style when hiring a 24-hour lawyer for your criminal defense.
Ask your lawyer about his or her preferred communication mediums and determine if you are comfortable with those mediums. Find out how often the lawyer will communicate with you. Will the lawyer pick up your phone calls? Will he or she reply to your emails on time? How regularly will the lawyer update you on the status of your criminal case? The answers to these questions will help you assess the effectiveness of your prospective lawyer’s communication.
Do You Have Support Staff?
A firm with enough legal support staff may dedicate sufficient time and effort toward building a winning defense strategy. So, find out if your attorney has a paralegal to assist in certain aspects of your case, such as performing legal research, drafting discovery notices, and organizing crucial case documents. Also, ask your attorney if he or she will handle your case personally or assign it to an associate attorney.
Do You Have Trial Experience?
Many criminal cases conclude through a plea deal between the criminal defendant and the prosecutor. Some cases, however, go all the way to trial. Since it is not easy to predict the course of your case, you should hire a lawyer with a proven record of getting a positive result in and out of court.
How Much Are Your Legal Services Going to Cost?
Cost is an important consideration when hiring a 24-hour lawyer for criminal defense. Focus on finding a good lawyer to address your legal issues without leaving you in a deep financial mess. A trustworthy lawyer should be in a position to tell you how much you will pay for criminal defense services.
Start by finding out the type of fee structure used by your criminal lawyer. Criminal defense lawyers use different methods to price their services. Many defense lawyers use a flat fee structure. The flat fee often covers the cost of obtaining the most favorable outcome from your case before a trial. An additional fee is required if a trial is necessary to resolve your case.
Some lawyers use an hourly-based fee structure. This fee structure requires you to pay an amount each hour a lawyer works on your case.
Ask the lawyer how much he or she will charge to handle your case. Knowing the amount of legal fees from the onset can prevent unpleasant surprises in the future. It will also allow you to plan your finances properly.
What Differentiates You from Other 24-Hour Criminal Defense Lawyers?
An experienced and dedicated defense lawyer knows what sets him or her apart from other lawyers. It could be a demonstrated history of helping clients achieve the best outcome. It could also be top-notch client service and the ability to represent the client’s best interests to the prosecution team, judge, or jury.
Where to Look for a 24-Hour Lawyer
Referral
Seeking referrals is one of the most effective ways to find a reputable 24-hour lawyer for your criminal case. Contact your relatives and friends who may have previously worked with a criminal defense lawyer. You can get an idea of a lawyer’s style of work by talking to those who have worked with that lawyer in the past.
You can also get lawyer referrals from lawyers you have previously hired for other legal issues, including real estate, business, and estate planning. Such lawyers may recommend a great defense lawyer in their professional network.
Local Online Legal Directories
You can look for a 24-hour lawyer for your criminal defense on your local online legal directories. These directories constitute comprehensive profiles of different types of lawyers. Each profile highlights the lawyer’s practice area (s), years of practice, and testimonials from previous clients.
Specify your location when searching for a criminal defense lawyer on these online directories. Doing that limits the search results to lawyers near you. You can then review their profiles and schedule an initial consultation with a lawyer that matches your requirements.
Local Bar Association Website
Check your local bar association website for prospective criminal defense attorneys for your consideration. This website comprises licensed and competent lawyers ready to offer legal services to clients requiring those services.
Local Law Firms
You can also find the right 24-hour criminal defense lawyer for your case by searching for law firms in your area. Limit your search to local law firms whose primary practice area is criminal law.
Carefully browse their website to gather information about their experience, success rate, and fee structure. Analyze the information and choose a law firm you believe can offer you effective representation.At Keller Criminal Defense Attorneys, our experienced and committed attorneys offer legal support and representation 24 hours a day. Contact us to book a free consultation if you are facing criminal charges in Minnesota.