Choosing the lawyer for the trial of your life can be overwhelming. That is why The Bianchi Law Group, LLC (BLG) has created its checklist of nine factors to consider when evaluating your choice of an excellent criminal defense attorney—the most important decision you can make if you are charged with a crime.

These 9 factors focus on the most important ingredients for finding an excellent law firm to achieve the most favorable results in defending a criminal case.

Read the blog post from Former Morris County Prosecutor and Founder of BLG, Robert (Bob) Bianchi, Esq. about why these 9 factors are so important to consider when selecting a criminal defense lawyer(s) to handle your case.

Top 9 Factors to Look for When Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney

1. Former Prosecutors

As Former Prosecutors, we have the training and experience to know exactly what the other side is thinking and doing at each stage of a criminal case – because every lawyer at BLG has done it on both sides ourselves. And, at BLG we uniquely only hire former prosecutors as lawyers at our office.  We are proud of this team of former prosecutors who now help clients charged with crimes in New Jersey.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, have a team of former prosecutors?

2. Certified Criminal Trial Attorneys

BLG partners Bob Bianchi and Dave Bruno are both New Jersey Supreme Court-Certified Criminal Trial Attorneys. Their certifications acknowledge their years of criminal trial practice and expertise in this field. There are only 250 New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Criminal Trial Attorneys out of over 90,000 lawyers in New Jersey.  This is a coveted and highly respected accomplishment in the legal community of lawyers, prosecutors, and judges. In this business, reputation matters.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, have attorneys managing it that have this distinction?

3. Criminal Jury Trial Experience

Despite what you see on television, most lawyers never go to court. That is not the case with the lawyers at BLG.  Every attorney at BLG has handled many trials from homicides as prosecutors and defense lawyers, down to the lowest level offenses.  And, we uniquely have a criminal appellate attorney on staff to assist our trial lawyers with cutting-edge legal issues that can be a tremendous benefit to our clients. This is exactly what prosecutors have on their staff, and we have evened the playing field by having on our side an appellate attorney that has impressively argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court 6 times.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, have this level of experience?

4. Team Strategy

Engineering a criminal defense case demands everyone’s best ideas. That is why at BLG our entire team debriefs every case, every day. That is how we vet the best strategies for your case on a daily basis, and to ensure every attorney and our support staff are aware of what is happening each and every day.  In other words, the entire staff is on the same page with every clients’ case. It is an “all hands-on deck” approach that we are very proud of.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, have a team approach?

5. Investigative Tactics

In every criminal case, investigations are crucial. Our team of former prosecutors have worked for many years alongside detectives and investigators in the cases we prosecuted.  We bring this same skill set with us to BLG.  This vital training allows us to work with our team of former law enforcement officers to investigate cases to assist our clients in preparing a defense for them.  We even have a retired police officer working full time at our office every day.  Why should only prosecutors have an investigative team?  This again levels the playing field for our clients who are at a distinct advantage of having a team of former prosecutors and law enforcement officers working on their behalf.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, have a support staff with this level of investigative expertise?

6. Legal Thought Leaders

Legal training courses for attorneys is vital to keep them up to date with changes in the law, trial tactics, and fresh information.  And, continuing legal education credits is mandated by the New Jersey Supreme Court. At BLG, we are proud that every attorney at our office is often asked to lecture and train other attorneys throughout the State of New Jersey to meet the New Jersey Supreme Court’s continuing education requirements. This demonstrates that other attorneys themselves recognize the expertise and skills that the attorneys at BLG possess. So too, our attorneys are often asked by TV and print news media for their opinions on a wide variety of legal topics.  Like the attorney Bar Associations, the media relies upon, and trusts, the BLG attorneys to inform and educate the public because of our excellent reputation.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, have this high-level reputation?

7. Testimonials

An excellent measure of the skill and dedication of an attorney is how other clients and colleagues view them. At BLG, we are proud of our 5-Star reviews that can be viewed on Google.  There is no greater honor than to have a client take the time to write about their experience with our team of former prosecutors, now criminal defense attorneys, and our awesome staff.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, have such positive client reviews?

8. Policies & Procedures

Most law firms do not have policies and procedures on how to handle their cases, and the many other things that a law firm needs to do to deliver excellent and consistent results.  Bob Bianchi as the head Morris County Prosecutor created many cutting-edge policies that led to better management of the Prosecutor’s Office, and hence the results the office achieved.  Why should prosecutors only have the advantage of policies and procedures that deliver excellent investigative and trial results? At BLG, our proprietary policies and procedures ensure that every clients’ case is handled uniformly and consistently.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, have policies and procedures to ensure consistent and uniform results?

9. Client-Centered Values

We understand that what you are facing is the biggest personal trial of your life. We are guided by our values of Compassion, Courage, and Commitment. Our strategies and services do not end at the courthouse steps – we address the needs of the whole person. We believe the BLG partners are the only criminal defense lawyers in New Jersey to become Certified Daring Way Facilitators after training with the famous Brene Brown’s “Daring Way Program.” Bianchi and Bruno went to San Antonio Texas for a week to earn this certification as we realize our clients come to us often broken, addicted, mentally ill, or who are having an understandable very painful and emotional experience by being prosecuted for a crime.  We are proud to help clients beyond the nuts and bolts of handling a criminal case as they navigate what is one of the worst experiences in their lives.

So ask, does the lawyer, or law firm you are considering, care for the “whole” person?

The only person who lives with the full consequences of your criminal case is you. You could lose your job, your family, and your standing in the community. You could possibly go to jail and have a criminal record. These are just a few of the consequences after being charged with a crime.

This is not the time to settle for an attorney who lacks the credentials, skills, and reputation to get you a successful resolution. If you look for the 9 factors of choosing an excellent criminal defense lawyer outlined here, will be on your way to retaining a criminal defense attorney who will handle your case holistically, aggressively, and, most importantly, successfully.

We wish you the very best of success with your case!

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© 2021 The Bianchi Law Group, LLC

No aspect of this attorney advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.