The Difference Between a Court Appointed Lawyer and a Hired Lawyer in Texas

If you are charged with a crime in Texas for which you may have to face jail time, you are entitled to have an attorney.  Everyone has heard this on t.v., "you have the right to remain silent...if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you."  This statement actually means that if you are considered to be at the poverty level in the state of Texas, you can get an attorney from the court which will cost you much less than if you hired an attorney privately.  Notably, at least in Bexar county, you will still pay  some amount for the attorney, but you will do so when you pay your court costs at the end of the case.

The real question remains though, what is the difference in skill level between an appointed lawyer and a hired lawyer? The honest answer to this question is that it entirely depends on the luck of your draw.  By that I mean, if you qualify, you will be randomly assigned to an appointed lawyer.  You may get a lawyer that has great experience, great skill and cares deeply about your case.  The appointed lawyer may even do a better job than a hired lawyer. On the other hand you may get a lawyer that has never handled a criminal law case in his or her entire career and is using your case as a learning tool.

In fact,  the majority of the time, appointed lawyers also take hired clients and hired lawyers accept appointed clients.  As such, when getting an appointed lawyer, and assessing whether or not you wish to keep this lawyer, you must ask yourself the same questions you would ask when choosing which lawyer to hire privately.  Those questions include, what experience does this lawyer have, does this lawyer know how to conduct a jury trial, does this lawyer genuinely care about my case, does this lawyer present his or herself professionally, and does this lawyer communicate with me well?

If you are appointed to a lawyer who then proceeds to immediately plea bargain your case the very same day, without talking to you about what happened, and without asking whether you want to fight the case, you can be pretty sure that you have received an undesirable appointed lawyer.  Ask for a different lawyer if this happens to you.

Certainly do not assume that appointed lawyers are "bad" lawyers because if the right one is appointed to you, you are essentially getting a mercedes-benz on an 80% discount.

This upfront and honest article comes from a trustworthy and honest law firm.  If you would like to meet with Connor Law Office for a free consultation regarding your need for a criminal defense attorney, call us at 210-524-7715 at anytime.  Connor Law Office will fight on your behalf with energy, grace and veracity.