Memphis Criminal Defense Attorney - Understanding Attorney – Client Relationship

The attorney–client relationship is guided by the law. Whether you hire a Memphis criminal defense attorney or any other attorney, the basic duties of the lawyer remain the same. Understanding the duties of a lawyer will help you protect your rights and analyze how your case is being handled. Understanding these duties will also help you find the right lawyer to represent your case.

Duty to Protect Your Interests

Under the law, the lawyers are duty bound to offer undivided loyalty to their clients. What this basically means is that your Memphis criminal defense attorney cannot take a position that conflicts your interests or stand. Moreover, your lawyer is duty bound to protect your interests. This also means that he or she cannot represent a client whose interest conflict with yours.

Duty To Maintain Confidentiality

What this means is that your lawyer discusses or compromises any information that you may have provided him or her while discussing your case. Even after your case is over, the lawyer is duty bound to keep all the information confidential. Moreover, this information cannot be used against the client’s wishes.

The duty to maintain confidentiality helps foster a trusting relationship between an attorney and client. It encourages a client to discuss everything openly with his or her lawyer.

Duty To Practice Diligently

This means that when you hire a Memphis criminal defense attorney, he or she should put in a fair amount of time and effort in handling your case. It also means that he or she should make use of all his or her talents and knowledge to defend you. Basically, what it means is that a lawyer is duty bound to exercise the degree of skill, care, and judgment that a reasonably careful lawyer would exercise in similar case.

This also means that your lawyer must do everything that he or she can to represent you in the best possible manner. If this means recommending another lawyer, then so be it. If the attorney that you have hired is unfamiliar with your case, he or she must gather all knowledge about the case and provide the best possible defense. If the lawyer feels that he or she does not have the time or the expertise to persue your case successfully, he or she should refer you to another lawyer.

Duty To Inform

Every lawyer has a duty to inform his or her client of all the significant developments related to the case in a timely manner. Moreover, your lawyer has a duty to respond promptly to your reasonable requests. If you find that most of the time you are not able to converse with your lawyer and you are mostly dealing with paralegals, it is better to look for a new lawyer.

Understanding these duties can help you find the right lawyer for yourself. When you are interviewing various lawyers for your case, keep these duties at the back of your mind and see how the lawyers respond to various queries. For instance, when you ask the lawyer how you can keep in touch with him or her, the answer will help you realize whether he or she will be able to inform you in a timely manner or not.

Understanding these duties thoroughly also means that you will not be taken for a ride by your lawyer.