Any suggestions for a criminal defense attorney in the Seattle area?

Federal drug cases can be very difficult to defend. The attorney you spoke to has a good handle on the potential fees (although they may be higher than necessary). If you are amenable to a plea bargain, however, your fees could be substantially less. Regardless, you should seek to obtain counsel to assist you throughout the process. Good luck.

You should be able to find a good criminal defense attorney who can handle your drug case. If your case is in Federal Court you will want an attorney with experience in Federal Court handling drug cases. Most criminal defense attorneys will give you a free consultation. Use this fee consultation to inquire about fees, about defense strategies and their philosophy on defending cases. Also inquire about their experience.You need an attorney you can afford and one you feel comfortable with. The Federal Public Defender's Office in Seattle is outstanding! Try John Crowley he is a good attorney for Federal Court drug crime in Seattle.

If you click the Lawyer Search tab om the upper right portion of your screen,

http://www.avvo.com/search/lawyer_search?q=Criminal+defense&loc=Seattle%2C+WA

you get the above link.

You might find my Legal Guide helpful "How to Choose A Lawyer For You"

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/how-to-choose-a-lawyer-for-you

You might find my Legal Guide helpful " What Do I Tell My Lawyer"

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/what-do-i-tell-my-lawyer

You need a lawyer. Check with a lawyer in your locale to discuss more of the details.

Good luck to you.

God bless.

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Look, it definitely seems you are in a sticky situation. If you are looking for a criminal defense lawyer, your first best plan should be to use the Avvo search engine, and do a little exploring on your own. This way, you can find a lawyer that is tailored to YOUR personal preference. Having a colorful past myself, I realise that it is sometimes hard to find a lawyer who truly meets your needs, since most people (lawyers included) feel like that no matter what the problem is, they have what it takes to find the best answer. If you are truly just looking for some quick suggestions for the Seattle area, I will leave a suggestion below.

A federal court case is extremely complicated and requires particular experience and expertise, different than state drug cases. Depending on the complexity of the case -- the number of co-defendants or the length of the investigation, for example -- it may well require an enormous amount of work.

Federal penalties are also much longer than state penalties. That means the stakes are higher, you have more at risk. How much is ten years of your freedom worth? Twenty years?

All of these factors contribute to making a qualified lawyer's fee higher for this sort of case.

If you are not able to pay the fee for a qualified private counsel, I strongly urge you to consider accepting representation by a public defender. The federal defenders are extremely well qualified and committed to their work. They know the law as well as the personalities involved in these cases.

The public defender generally would represent you far better than someone without experience in this area who will do it out of the "goodness of their heart."

Lenell Nussbaum