As the saying goes, "If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools." As Criminal Defense Attorney This is especially true. A lawyer must not only be professional but also adept at managing career risks. Handling criminal cases inherently carries significant professional risks—particularly for novice criminal litigation lawyers, who, if they’re even slightly careless, could face disciplinary action from the Bar Association or sanctions by judicial authorities. In severe cases, they might risk having their practice licenses revoked or even being held criminally accountable. Today, let’s discuss the key considerations criminal litigation lawyers should keep in mind when taking on a case.

　　1. Criminal Defense Lawyers: Be sure to verify whether the client is eligible to retain legal representation. According to legal provisions, eligible clients in criminal cases include the suspect or defendant themselves, their legal guardians, or close relatives—excluding distant family members and friends. However, if the Bar Association’s guidelines permit non-close relatives to serve as defense counsel, the lawyer can obtain the suspect/defendant’s explicit confirmation and consent during the first meeting. That said, these Bar Association rules are ultimately self-regulatory measures within the profession and do not carry legal enforceability. As a result, more cautious lawyers typically choose not to accept mandates from non-close relatives. In reality, though, some clients have close relatives who are either unavailable, unreachable, or simply absent altogether. Yet these individuals still require legal representation—and denying them the right to hire a lawyer under such objective circumstances would clearly contradict the state’s commitment to safeguarding defendants’ fundamental right to counsel. Consequently, in practice, a significant number of lawyers do agree to represent clients whose relatives aren’t immediately available. Meanwhile, certain detention centers may insist on verifying the claimed familial relationship between the client and the suspect/defendant before scheduling a meeting; otherwise, they may refuse access. In such scenarios, lawyers might find themselves unable to meet with their clients. Addressing this issue requires collective efforts from the legal community to ensure that lawyers can fully exercise their professional rights while upholding the integrity of the justice system.

　　2. Be careful to prevent fugitive accomplices from making a move Criminal Defense Attorney Using a false pretext to probe case details. In judicial practice, it's common for multiple co-perpetrators to commit crimes together. Sometimes, some of these accomplices remain at large, while others may impersonate relatives or friends of detainees, hiring lawyers to meet with the inmates—effectively using this ruse to extract confessions. If the lawyer fails to carefully verify the identity of the alleged representative, the fugitive could exploit this opportunity to gather sensitive case information, potentially leading to a serious breach of confidentiality. Such negligence might not only result in disciplinary action from the Bar Association but could even expose the lawyer to charges of unintentionally disclosing state secrets.

　　3. Can the same firm accept mandates from more than two co-defendants? Currently, there is no specific law addressing this issue. According to existing regulations, if a law firm represents two or more co-defendants and assigns different lawyers to act as their respective defense counsel, it must first inform the clients and obtain their explicit consent. This clearly indicates that, as long as the clients agree, multiple co-defendants can indeed entrust their cases to the same firm—provided all parties give their informed consent. In practice, many law firms already follow this approach; however, it’s crucial to ensure that each client signs an informed consent form before proceeding.

　　In criminal cases, contingency fees are prohibited, meaning no fees of a contingent nature can be charged. In recent years, some Criminal Defense Attorney They’ll play it close to the edge—by refusing to plead guilty even if the case is successful—and earn an additional reward fee for doing so. At its core, this practice amounts to contingency representation, which is also prohibited.