Not just a civil lawyer anymore

Guess what? Guess what? I get to do criminal law! As of today, I am officially allowed to take criminal cases. Criminal law is what I'm most passionate about, but I made a conscious choice to take a job at a civil firm. I thought my firm was a great fit and I didn't want to give that up, and I was also really concerned that if I did solely criminal law I would burn out too quickly. My firm says they do "everything but criminal and domestic," so I never really even thought it was a possibility for me to do criminal defense there. But last month I brought it up with one of the partners and with our marketing guy, and they were both surprisingly supportive. So I spent the last month convincing the rest of the attorneys that it was a good idea, and although quite a few people are skeptical, every single attorney at the firm said they would support me. And that is exactly why I love being at this firm. Even if they think I'm crazy to want to do criminal defense and even though they're worried about "those people" being in the waiting room, they are open minded and willing to let me explore an area of law I'm passionate about.

Comments

[Neurosis]

Congrats!
Do any other attorneys at the firm have criminal case experience?

[LvL]

One attorney worked at the PD's office for several years and will help me out as needed. I also have been put in contact with a couple other local attorneys who can assist me if I get cases that I am not fully qualified to handle. But I am the only one at my firm who will actually be doing criminal law...at least until they see how much I enjoy it.

[Per Son]

The key for handling the cases is to get a giant retainer and/or get all of the money for representation up front. Thus, if you are doing a DUI case, get the money for all of the experts, reconstructions, and fees up front. If they go to jail - you won't recover it. If they win, you'll still have a hard time recovering it. The unfortunate fact that any defense attorney will admit is that 90% of the defendants did it (meaning: you will deal with lotsa slime). The question is whether the prosecution can prove it.

The advice I am giving is from defense attorneys.