You have been charged with a crime, or circumstances tell you that you may be charged in the future. The best thing you can do for yourself is seek the assistance of a criminal defense attorney PA, but how do you go about doing that? If you have never been in legal trouble before, you may not know how to find the best attorney. Whether you are looking for a DUI attorney Pennsylvania or some other type of criminal defense attorney, the following four step process will lead you to the right legal team.

1. Try to find personal referrals from people you know.Even if your friends and family members have never used a criminal defense attorney PAthemselves, they may know someone else who has used an attorney. You might not want to broadcast your need for a DUI attorney Pennsylvania practice, but you can contact people you trust. Just ask them if they know of anyone who has used a criminal defense attorney in Pennsylvania. You never know if someone may have a great attorney who can take on your case immediately.

2. Use online phone books to identify all criminal defense attorney PA offices.

Not all of these attorneys are going to suit your case, some will be closed to new clients, and others may not have a great track record with your type of case. What you need to do right now is identify all of the options available to you. The next steps will tell you how to sort them out, such as finding a great DUI attorney Pennsylvania if that is the type of case you are fighting.

3. Quickly eliminate all criminal defense attorney PA offices that clearly are not suited to your case.

Most listings will have email addresses to the practice's website. Follow the links and look at the page detailing the type of cases they take on. Bookmark only the practices that deal with the type of case you are fighting. For example, if you need a DUI attorney Pennsylvania, you would not bookmark a practice that only services Ohio residents or which does not deal with DUI cases.

4. Go in for a free consultation.

Most criminal defense attorney PA practices offer free consultations to determine whether your case is a reasonable fit to their services. Look through the bookmarked websites to identify practices that appear to take on your type of case, and call to book a consultation. You are not obligated to pay a retainer fee or take the attorney on, but you will get to offer details of your case and see what they suggest. You can also find out about their fees to ensure you can afford their services. Not all DUI attorney Pennsylvania offices have the same fee structures, so do not feel shy asking about price.

If you do not like one criminal defense PA practice, simply book a consultation with someone else. You can always go back to the first DUI attorney Pennsylvania practice if you cannot find anyone better.