If you are hoping to win any case, you must arm yourself with a competent attorney. And when it comes to appeal cases, the same is necessary. It’s essential that you have the right lawyer to get you through the legal proceedings. Return to our Texas appellate law firm page.
Contact our appellate attorneys in Garland Texas or call (888) 233-8895.
Appeal attorneys argue for their clients in appellate courts. If one is convicted for a crime, he/she has a right to file an appeal. Your appeal lawyer will be representing you in the higher court for the judges to review and if valid, change the decision that was passed down by a lower court.
For a person who has lost a case and wants to file an appeal, they should have strong facts to prove that there were errors in the court proceedings which may have influenced the verdict. And that is precisely why it should be reviewed. Our firm represents clients all over Texas including Houston.
The chances of winning such cases depend on the strength of the facts presented. But, the lawyer you choose plays a significant role too. For that reason, you must choose the attorney wisely. Here is how to go about choosing the right criminal appeal attorneys in Garland, Texas.
If you need an appeal lawyer, it’s probably because you have been convicted with something. A good place to begin your search is to ask for recommendations from:
Ask them for at least three recommendations and create time to speak to each one of them. But, alternatively, they may be able to represent you themselves. If you’d hired a public defender, they could tell you whether their office or another office handles appeal cases.
Every state and city should have a bar association which is a made up of lawyers. Reach out to them and ask them for recommendations for Garland Texas appeals lawyers. Or better yet if you have some friends who are lawyers, you can also request them to refer you to someone.
If you know anyone who has been in the same position as you, you should contact them as they will have some suggestions.
Better yet, use the internet to search for Texas Appellate Attorney.
After getting the recommendations, you now have the list of names of the lawyers. The next step is doing a background check on them. Begin by looking at their website. Nowadays, all attorneys have websites. Just type the name of the lawyer and the location then read through the information that pops up.
It’s also essential that you determine whether he or she has had any disciplinary issues before. Since all states have a disciplinary board to investigate complaints against lawyers, you should check from them to make sure that he/she hasn’t been disciplined before.
You should also read some online reviews and ask your present lawyer of what he or she thinks about particular appeal attorneys. After you’re done with the research, chances are that you’ve eliminated those you were not pleased by them. Now ensure that you’ve narrowed down your list to 3 or 4 appeal lawyers.
Evaluation simply means that you interview the prospective attorney to see if they are a good fit. Now, the first thing to do is to call and schedule for a consultation. But, if you are in prison, you can have a consolation over the phone.
Since this step involves getting to really know who’ll be representing you, you should plan for it. Check with the secretary to know what you need to bring and gather the materials requested. The lawyer will request you to describe the evidence against you and the conviction.
You should also prepare some questions for him/her. For instance, ask some obvious questions like how long they have been practicing, if they have appealed for a crime that is similar to yours, and don’t forget to ask about the fees. You can also request them to assess your chances and the issues they think you can appeal.
There are things you need to look out for before hiring the lawyer. For instance, don’t settle for a lawyer who has made promises that they could win the appeal. As they can’t guarantee any result. Also, check how organized and honest they are.
From there, you can then choose an attorney that you feel comfortable with, has good communication skills, and one that you can afford their fee. But most importantly, an attorney you are confident with. Reach out to them and explain that you want to hire them and let them tell you of the next step.
Mastering the art of going through transcripts and identifying legal errors takes years of research, persuasive briefs and effectively arguing the case in front of a multi-judge panel. It’s the number of appeals that adequately trains appellate lawyers. The firm also handles Texas habeas corpus cases. It takes hundreds of cases to master this art and therefore, the experience is not something to be overlooked.
Your lawyer should handle all aspects of the case. From the first appointment in which you discuss the case, to the oral argument in front of a panel of judges to post-decision motions, if there are any.
This is very crucial. You don’t want someone thinking about their golf game when they should be thinking about how you are going to win the case. You want an assertive lawyer who is determined to make you win. That’s why you should really evaluate the lawyer to determine if they are suitable to represent you.
Arguing a case in higher courts is different than arguing to a jury in a lower court. In appeal courts, there are no witnesses to be cross-examined. Instead, your attorney will orally argue the case out and present all the right points and also answer all the judges’ questions. For the lawyer to win, they must be very sharp and eloquent. Since they also need to write briefs on your behalf, writing skills will come in handy.
Lawyers are trained to argue to win. But that doesn’t happen always. For this reason, you should be extremely careful with who you choose to represent you in the higher court. And even though you are working against the clock, you shouldn’t be in a rush to settle for just any appellate attorney.
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