What will you do if you get a speeding ticket while driving on the highway? Will you go to the police station with your attorney or just pay the fine and drive along? Most probably the latter.
However, if your trouble is even slightly more serious or criminal in nature, you will find yourself wondering whether to appoint a defense attorney or not. In such cases, you can avail free legal counsel from various reputable law firms. Cases demanding the service of attorneys are usually the ones involving a serious question of law.
It is best to appoint lawyers when you are advised in favor of the same because if you are not willing to pay the high fees of the attorney, you should know that the consequence of not doing so might end up being even costlier than the fees you were wary of paying.
Now that you know how to decide in which kinds of cases you need to appoint an attorney, here is a list of reasons why you should go for local trial attorneys when looking for a lawyer:
Table of Contents
1. Local Advantages
The foremost advantage of hiring a local attorney is that there is a high possibility of your attorney being aware of your case already.
It is always easier to explain your case to someone who at least has some knowledge of what is going on than to someone who is completely alien to your case.
Legal cases are extremely procedural and you have to be quite well-versed in these formalities to get even your faintest voice heard. To get these formalities done, there might be the need to visit the court often, to submit all important legal documents and legal forms within the set deadlines. Even scheduled appointments with your attorney might be needed quite regularly. At times like these, a local trial attorney will be the most convenient choice.
You will also be able to save up on that attorney’s travel cost that you would otherwise have to bear for someone who does not belong to the same locality as you.
Also, a local lawyer is likely to know the local laws better than an attorney who has never lived in your community, no matter how qualified they are in the subject matter.
2. Better Connections With Judges
While presenting a case, one thing that attorneys look out for is keeping up with the preferences of the judge they are presenting the case to. This is something only a local lawyer will be able to do best.
Even the most qualified attorney will need time to understand the personality of a judge they have never presented to. Once again, your local attorney will have the upper hand since there is a high chance that they have already presented in front of the same judge multiple times before.
If you are lucky enough, your local attorney might even have some prior connections with the judge making the case more favorable for you.
3. Kinship With Opposing Counsel
Apart from having prior connections with your judge, there is a high probability that your attorney is well-acquainted with the opposing counsel as well. There are more pros to this factor than there are cons.
Prior acquaintance with the counsel of the opposite party implies that your attorney is already aware of the techniques and tricks they use to argue their case.
This knowledge can help determine the best way to argue your case and how to retaliate when needed. The only disadvantage is that the same advantage may apply to the opposing counsel as well.
The entirety of your case will depend on how well your attorney can represent you in front of the judge. Your defense attorney will be responsible for building a strong case and for making sure that you are served with the most favorable outcome.
4. Reputation Factor
What is the first thing you will take into consideration while hiring a lawyer? More often than not, it is the attorney’s reputation and previous records that will motivate you to hire a particular attorney.
A reputed local attorney also has the familiarity advantage. If the attorney that you have appointed has fought cases in the same court earlier (which they most likely have), then they will be familiar with not only the place but with the people working there as well.
When you are represented by an attorney whose record speaks for themselves, your case will be looked at with the utmost importance.
For a local attorney, you will most likely get to know about their reputation without having to probe anybody, since you both belong to the same community. Also, their reputation in the locality can serve as a positive factor in your case since the court staff and the judge will treat them with respect.
Conclusion
Whether you are guilty in the case or not, is something that only the judge can decide. However, you should not back out from making your voice heard and explain everything that you have to say about the incident.
Especially, if the other party has the backing of an attorney, it is not only difficult for you but unfair as well. Fighting a case with a strong opponent having legal representation, when you have none, is like fighting a losing battle. If you are not an attorney yourself you will never have the upper hand while presenting your case, an advantage that the other party will have.
Thus, instead of engaging in an impossible battle all by yourself, it is more convenient to have your lawyer fight the case and present your strongest suit.
For all the reasons stated above, if you want your case to be handled professionally and increase your chances of winning, you should always reach out to a local trial attorney.
