If you or a loved one is being charged with a federal crime, this question has got to be first and foremost on your mind because you probably never had to select an attorney before, let alone a federal criminal defense attorney.
Federal and State are two different beasts. I do both, but you want an attorney that knows federal because state attorneys will not be very successful in federal unless they have experience.
I've been doing federal criminal cases for approximately 30 years. I've traveled all over the nation, which you can do because the Federal Sentencing Guidelines are the same nationwide.
It's not like different laws and rules in various states. In the federal, it's the same laws. It's the same rules and Sentencing Guidelines – other judges, players, and jurisdictions.
My main office is based in the central district of California, specifically in Los Angeles. So, if you or a loved one is trying to figure out who the best attorney is for you, I think you want to ensure that whatever attorney you're looking at has the credentials.
In other words, he has experience with federal, like me, who's been doing it for 30 years, has success with cases, and knows how to deal with cases. So that's the benchmark criteria.
Comfort Level
Next, you have to talk to the person and see if you feel comfortable with them.
Because if you don't feel comfortable with your attorney – I don't care if it's a federal or state case – any case – you're probably not going to be as successful as if you felt comfortable because you know yourself. So you can assess a situation and use your common sense.
If you feel comfortable with somebody, the Judge will probably feel comfortable with that person.
The prosecutors will feel comfortable with them, and if they've got the criteria necessary to be a good criminal defense attorney, you're probably going to get the best result, which is what you're looking for if you're charged with a federal crime.
Experience with the Crime You Are Facing
Also, somebody familiar with the subject matter you face is a good idea. For example, I do many drug and weapons cases.
So, if you're charged with some drug offense, I've handled those for 30 years now with great success, so that certainly would make sense for you or anyone looking for an attorney your lawyer understands how to deal with a particular case.
The feds are in a little world regarding what type of cases they prosecute. They don't have the manpower the states do, so they will only prosecute certain crimes.
In other words, for someone who gets busted with drugs, if that person has a massive amount of drugs and the feds are part of the investigation, then it certainly makes send the feds would prosecute that.
On the other hand, if the person is busted with a small number of drugs, it makes more sense that the case would be passed on to the state or local authorities to deal with it.
Hopefully, I've given you a little insight into how to choose your attorney. First, you've got to look at the crime. Then, you've got to feel comfortable with the person, and you have to look at their background and see if they've had some success in the area where your case is pending.
As I said, I travel all over the nation because the Federal Sentencing Guidelines are the same nationwide and also because of the fact, depending on the case type. There are also 5k departures in sentencing.
A lot of the same issues come up in these cases. So you want somebody familiar with how to deal with them and how to successfully maneuver a federal case – whether that be in a jury trial to fight the case or whether that be a circumstance where we're trying to negotiate, work out a resolution, and get you the best possible result.
If you need the best, you've come to the right place. Pick up the phone now. Ask for a meeting with Ron Hedding. I stand at the ready to help you. The Hedding Law Firm is located in Los Angeles, CA.
