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Posts Tagged ‘crime’

Hiring A New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorney

December 18th, 2009 No comments

If you’re currently in the process of trying to find a lawyer, you are probably scratching your head about how to find a lawyer that is right for your situation. You’ll probably want to know how much experience the prospective attorney has in handling legal situations like yours. Finding the right NJ criminal defense attorney, presents a unique set of circumstances. Your freedom and life may be hanging in the balance, and you want to be sure that your hiring decision is an informed one.

There are two predominant ways that people look for lawyers. First, you could ask a family member or friend to recommend someone. However, you might not have access to people that are familiar with the type of lawyer you need for your legal matter. Traditionally, the next route is to use the Yellow Book or some other form of directory listing. The problem with finding a lawyer this way is that it could take a lot of time. Furthermore, there is no good way to distinguish one lawyer from another by listing alone.

Finding the right lawyer for your situation is critical to maximizing your chances of a successful outcome. That is why the Supreme Court of New Jersey has commissioned the Board on Attorney Certification. The Board has created the certification process to protect people from false advertising and to increase the quality of representation of attorneys in New Jersey. The certification program was created to help you make an informed decision when you are in need of a lawyer.

There are 4 general practice areas for which the Board offers certification. These include, but are not limit to, civil practice, matrimonial practice, and criminal practice. The criminal trial lawyer certification provides consumers with a basis from which to make a decision about hiring the right NJ criminal defense attorney. These criminal attorneys are recognized for having a certain competence in the handling of criminal legal matters. Criminal Trial Lawyer certification means that the attorney has demonstrated the required amount of experience, learning, information, and prowess in criminal defense; has passed the required testing; and has been endorsed by colleagues as skillful and reputable in criminal law.

When looking for a lawyer, don’t hesitate to ask whether or not they have Board certification. While this shouldn’t be the only factor playing into your decision, it is a good guideline for helping you find criminal lawyers that are experienced in handling criminal cases in New Jersey. You can also review the list of certified criminal defense lawyers at the New Jersey Board of Attorney Certification’s website. There, you will find more information about the certification process, as well as, a complete list of all certified attorneys in the various practice areas.

Criminal charges can lead to a seriously tarnished record, heavy fines and even years in jail. Each decision you make today could affect your life for years down the road. Don’t speak a word to the police, and choose your NJ criminal defense attorney carefully. For more information on New Jersey criminal defense law, read our NJ criminal attorney blog.

How To Hire The Right Criminal Defense Attorney

November 27th, 2009 No comments

Law school is among one of the most expensive types of schools in the United States- and it leaves lawyers fresh out of college in a world of debt. As such, they will go through great lengths to get new business- sometimes not using acceptable practices. To choose the right attorney, take the time to judge their character.

Referrals account for a lot of business for lawyers. Good referrals that come from friends will always bode well with others, and lead to repeat business. In that sense, it’s easy to find a criminal defense attorney if you have a long list of friends who have been in similar situations. At the same time, if a lawyer is given a bad review, consider staying away until other opportunities arise.

Lawyers don’t get a lot of business simply by making an impression in civil court. However, you should consider going to a few civil court dockets to see if in the process you can find a lawyer with a particular dedication to his or her client. A good lawyer isn’t always one who is going to win the case, but rather one that can argue the case and present a point.

The Internet is a good source of information for attorney reviews, but it is also considered to be an anonymous form of communication, so it’s hard to tell which reviews are genuine and which ones might have been planted. Genuine reviews will usually say both good and bad things about the attorney- while planted reviews will focus on saying negative things or just positive things about him or her.

Attorneys should have a website, or at least a profile on their firm’s website. If they don’t they probably aren’t as professional as you are needing in defending a criminal case. If they do, take a look at their rewards and recognitions. Attorneys who have completed school with a good GPA, has received awards, and done good service to the state will have a lot to show for themselves.

When you do finally make it to the free consultation, bring a list of questions that you want to ask the attorney. If you go in without a list, you could easily forget the questions and be conned into hiring the attorney on the spot without thoroughly judging him or her. Include questions as to their experience, their price, and what kind of solution or plan of attack they plan on using in order to prove the innocence of parties involved.

Final Thoughts

When you get a good service, you should tell everyone you know of the outcome. Also consider reviewing the attorney on the Internet. If you had a less than stellar service, you should also report your findings so that others are not going to fall victim to a poor lawyer.

Learn more on LA criminal defense attorney and ventura criminal defense lawyer.

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Top Self Defense Tips

November 25th, 2009 No comments

There are a lot of things you can do to help you stay safe when it comes to self defense. Most of these tips just require practice and developing good habits. Always be aware of your surroundings, learn self defense techniques and practice with your self defense products. You can be safe.

There are many avenues you can use to gather information and expertise when it comes to self defense. Consider taking a course on self defense at your local YMCA or maybe a martial arts center. You have to be prepared if you are ever confronted by an attacker. You can even purchase available self defense training videos. You can gain a lot of information from watching these and then practic9ing the techniques shown. You can progress at your own pace and start and stop when you want to.

When you are considering personal protection it is important to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Many people who are coming out of the grocery store and mugged are the ones that don’t pay attention to what is going on around them. Look around for people following you, standing around by your car, and that just don’t look right. Don’t hitchhike because you don’t know the drivers of the vehicles. Also, avoid places that the crime rate is bad or if they look sketchy. Don’t look like an easy target for the criminals. Hold your head up high and be confident and pay attention to the things going on around you.

If you are ever forced into a situation where you have to use the self defense moves you have learned the key is to not hesitate. Hesitation can be seen as a sign of weakness by the attacker. Go on the offensive. As you are doing this make as much noise as you possibly can. An attacker does not want to draw attention to what they are doing. If you come across as aggressive and are making a ton of noise the attacker will think twice about having picked you as his next intended victim and possibly abandon his efforts and run away.

Use personal protection devices for self defense such as a Taser, Stun Gun or pepper spray. You should purchase them and carry them on your person. Do not put them deep into the depths of your handbag or your briefcase and have no idea where the pepper spray is or how to use it. Know exactly how to use things like pepper spray, stun guns and Tasers. Also, at night it is okay to have these devices in your hand while you walk down the street. Be prepared to use them. It could save your life.

There are many things that you can do to practice personal protection and be prepared to use self defense. If you come upon a situation where you need to use them you will be prepared and ready to defend yourself if you practice the techniques and become good, fight the attacker back, use personal protection devices, and more.

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