Our legal system is the best in the world. Our rights are protected and our court system, while not perfect, gives individuals the best chance at justice. But, there is a big hole in how people are represented by lawyers.
If you are rich, you can afford legal representation if you are accused of a crime. If you are poor, you can rely on the public defender to represent you in criminal cases. But, what do you do if you are like most people and are somewhere between rich and poor. If you are in the middle class, finding an excellent defense attorney you can afford can be challenging to say the least. But, it is possible if you look for an attorney willing to work with you.
An ethical lawyer works to take into account their client’s financial situation in determining how much to charge them. Sometimes even more importantly, some lawyers will allow you to make a down payment and then make monthly or bi-monthly payments for the balance. This can be critical. Most folks do not plan on getting arrested for a DUI, a domestic disturbance, theft or anything else. If they were thinking about getting arrested, they probably would not have done whatever got them arrested to begin with. Since most people are never planning to get arrested, they are not setting aside money to be ready to retain a private attorney to represent them.
San Diego Defenders prides ourselves on working to provide the best possible defense to our clients, but at the same time, doing so at a rate and with a payment plan they can afford. It takes some effort to achieve that balance. Whether you have paid in full or are making monthly payments, we do everything we can to get the best result for you. But, we also have to pay our bills. So, getting the payments in on time and wrapped up as quickly as possible helps us. With a little common effort, we can usually work out financial situation that works out for everyone involved.
It is also very important to keep in mind, hiring an expensive lawyer does not necessarily mean you are getting an excellent lawyer. Some lawyers simply charge as much as they think they can get. Others have firms, where you pay for the name on the door and their reputation, but have your case handled by an associate rather than who you paid for. Always make sure to know who is going to be doing the actual work on your case.
