5 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring an Attorney

Do you exclusively handle criminal defense?
Criminal Defense is a highly specialized area of the law that demands thorough knowledge of ever-changing laws and the experience to know how to use those laws to the benefit of your clients.

Ask your prospective attorney what percentage of their practice is devoted to Criminal Defense. An attorney that dabbles in many areas of law can never provide the specialized representation that criminal defense demands.

Anthony A. Arzili’s practice has always been 100% devoted to criminal defense.

How well do you know the Whittier Courts?
Knowing the Judges and Prosecutors assigned to your case can make all the difference. A Criminal Defense Attorney that only handles cases in Whittier is rarity nowadays where most attorneys will travel to far away courts in order to make a living.

Attorney Anthony Arzili limits his practice to his “home turf,” the L.A. County Courts. Whittier Attorney Anthony Arzili knows that some of the best results you can achieve on a criminal case are made possible only by the relationships between defense attorneys, local prosecutors and judges.

Ask your prospective attorney if he only handles cases in Whittier? Then ask your attorney how many times he’s appeared in the courthouse where your case is pending? Does he know who the prosecutors are in your court?

Will you represent me or some young inexperienced associate?
This problem accounts for a large percentage of complaints that people have with criminal defense lawyers. Most people call what they believe to be a large defense firm or a “law corporation” and speak to someone who sounds very impressive. Unfortunately, the first person that “sells” them on their firm is not the attorney that will be handling your case. Instead, it will be a young, inexperienced associate that will use your case as a learning experience. Attorney Anthony A. Arzili started out with one of the biggest defense firms in California, he knows how they work. He remembers how cases were juggled between young attorneys with clients calling and not knowing who their attorney was.

Attorney Anthony A. Arzili believes that a client needs an advocate, someone the client can believe in, confide in, and communicate with. When you meet with Anthony Arzili, he will be the one and only attorney that will be committed to your case from start to finish. Finding an attorney that will be personally committed to your case means finding a local attorney that will be your advocate, not a large and faceless corporation.

Can you tell me your TOTAL fees and put it in WRITING?
Just like any large purchase or investment you make, hiring a criminal defense lawyer should be done wisely. Be wary of attorneys that insist on you paying all your fees before they even step into court. Also, be concerned if an attorney tells you to pay him “as you go along” and never sets a total price. Finally, there are the big law firms that will have you sign a dozen pages of legalese just so they are covered no matter how badly they botch your case.

Whittier Criminal Defense Attorney Anthony Arzili realizes that most people just want a reasonable fee and want to know exactly what the total cost will be. His “flat-fee” retainer gives you a total amount the case will cost, and not a dime over. While other attorneys may charge you $375 an hour to take a phone call or read some law on your case, rest assured that no matter how many court appearances or conference Anthony handles, your total fee will not change. Finally, Anthony Arzili puts all his fees in writing in a simple one page agreement.

Do you have a proven track record of excellent results?
While most attorneys provide empty promises of great results, only the great attorneys let their actions speak for themselves. While some attorneys will attempt to tell you what you want to hear so that you can hire them, others believe scaring you out of your mind is the best way to get you to hire them. Whittier Criminal Lawyer Anthony Arzili believes in letting his actions speak for themselves. Please visit our Recent Results Page to see for yourself a sampling of the success stories that we’ve been able to achieve in the past year.