The importance of hiring the right criminal defense attorney for your case has once again made clear by a recent Indiana case setting aside a 15 year old murder conviction.

In Humphrey v. State, the Indiana Supreme Court determined that the defendant’s trial attorney’s performance was deficient. The attorney’s errors included not asking that the jury be correctly instructed on the law that a State witness’s prior unsworn statement could be considered only for determining the truthfulness of that witness and may not be used to determine if the Defendant was guilty and for then incorrectly telling the jury in closing argument that the prior statement could be used in deciding whether his client was guilty. The Court set aside the defendant’s conviction because of his lawyer’s mistakes and ordered a new trial.

As this case demonstrates, bad attorneys are out there providing ineffective assistance counsel resulting in unjustified convictions and prison sentences. You can check an attorney’s background by going to www.in.gov/judiciary. Click on to “check attorney license status” to make sure the attorney or a member of the law firm does not have a disciplinary history of unethical conduct. Click on to ‘trial court case search” and type in the attorney’s name or law firm as a party to determine if the attorney has been sued by a former client for legal malpractice.

With over 33 years of handling thousands of criminal cases, clients come to Steven Knecht seeking his dependable legal advice and service. Few other attorneys can match his trial experience and knowledge of criminal law and he can use that experience and knowledge to benefit you. His commitment to his clients has solidified his reputation for superior representation in the area of criminal defense. He puts clients at ease, explains everything as thoroughly as possible, without “legalese,” and returns phone calls and e-mails.

If you find yourself having been arrested, you should immediately hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer that you can trust such as Steven Knecht to help you fight the State because you have a lot at stake on the outcome.