AVAILABILITY

It is essential that a criminal lawyer is available at all times. Make sure you get your lawyer’s mobile number so that you can contact them at any time. After all, the police may arrive to question you morning, noon or night. You may also have concerns about the case that need addressing.

EXPERIENCE

Being accused of a criminal offence may well be new to you. However, you need someone who has been through this before and knows exactly what they’re doing. Youth and enthusiasm can be valuable qualities for your individual lawyer to have, but they at least need to have the knowledge that comes from years of experience within the firm.

COMPETITIVENESS

Our system of justice in the UK is adversarial and often confrontational, so you need someone who not only likes to win but hates to lose.

EMPATHY

Empathy goes way beyond sympathy, which is the caring and understanding for the suffering of others. It requires an ability to experience the feelings of the other person and to understand how they come to find themselves in their current predicament. Basically, it requires the lawyer to be able to walk a mile in their client’s shoes.

TENACITY

Tenacity is the quality of being determined to ensure the best possible outcome for the client involving perseverance, firmness, strength of purpose and very often a great deal of patience.