Choosing a criminal attorney to defend you can be stressful, to say the least. There are many different companies and professionals competing for your business, and navigating them can be tricky. While choosing the best may take a bit of searching, it should be easy to avoid the worst. Here are four attorneys to avoid at all costs.

cool face

Choosing a legal representative fresh out of law school who passed the bar exam by the skin of his teeth is a long shot. Yes, there are plenty of highly qualified and skilled young attorneys out there who are eager to help you, and maybe even at a bargain price. But for many people, the stress of the situation alone is enough, and adding the fear of trusting yourself to a young upstart who might seem like he’s reading too many books for your liking could put you over the edge. If you feel comfortable and confident with a criminal attorney who is fairly new to the field, then go for it. However, if you just can’t get rid of his lack of experience, look for someone with all the qualities that put you at ease.

too specialized

Specialist attorneys are fantastic. They mainly work on certain types of cases, such as car theft, domestic problems, violence, etc. However, sometimes a criminal lawyer can be too specialized. He wants someone with enough experience to confidently and competently plead his case. When interviewing potential attorneys, be sure to ask about specific recent lawsuits. Keep in mind how similar they are to yours but make sure there are some differences, having a one trick pony as your criminal lawyer won’t do you any good unless you need that exact trick to get him off the case.

quantity over quality

Many times you will call an attorney and meet with them only to find that there are three or even four working on your case. Many law firms take cases and then assign tasks to a team rather than a specific attorney. Sometimes this can be helpful, but there are also times when the team doesn’t seem to be coming together or the defender isn’t comfortable with the situation. A thousand mediocre, rowdy attorneys will not be as helpful as one who can devote the proper amount of time and research to your case. Make sure you get what you pay for.

dishonest

Granted, there may not be an honest criminal attorney out there, but it’s important to check your attorney’s legal history. Although rare, there are some legal professionals who are surprisingly not even qualified to defend you. Check all credentials, education and qualifications. You should also see if your attorney has had any ethics violations against you. It is illegal for a lawyer to hide information from you, keep documents, misrepresent clients and misuse funds, among other things. While no lawyer is perfect, you want to make sure yours isn’t in jail.