Criminal lawyers generally work for people who are accused of felonies such as murder, assault, family violence, embezzlement, etc. The service of a criminal lawyer is essential to make sure that your legal rights are sheltered throughout the judicial process. Since criminal consequences may include fines, imprisonment, mandatory treatment, and probations, it is always advisable to hire a criminal lawyer with adequate expertness and experience in the field. Various resources are available to find a competent and experienced criminal lawyer. Referrals are always considered to be the most important source; the name of a competent criminal lawyer may come from any circle such as friends, colleagues, family, etc. The public defender's office in your county will also be able to suggest a competent criminal lawyer for you.

Another way of finding an expert criminal lawyer is observing public sessions when criminal cases are being held in the court. If you find a particular lawyer competent enough to handle your case, you can certainly approach him/her. Professional legal organizations are also an excellent source of finding a criminal lawyer. Offices of organizations such as National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) in your region will be able to provide lists of competent lawyers in your area. Some organizations offer referral services even through Internet. Additionally, the service of local bar associations can be utilized to gather information on a perspective criminal lawyer such as how much experience a particular criminal lawyer has in this field. Other sources to find proficient lawyers are telephone directories, yellow pages, and newspapers.

The Internet is undoubtedly the most valuable tool to search for a reputed criminal lawyer. Some of the online directories available are CriminalLawyerSource.com, Lawyers.com, FreeAdvice.com, and FindLaw.com, etc. These directories provide easy access to legal information and other related sources.