A private attorney (meaning not court-appointed) can be hired at any time during your case, and even prior to an arrest. The price or cost of hiring an attorney varies greatly depending on many factors, the type of charge, the city/state of the offense, the experience level of the attorney, the prior criminal history or lack of prior history of the accused, and several other factors.
While they say you get what you pay for, you should be careful that you are not being charged an exorbitant (extremely high) fee just because the attorney uses your fear against you, or that you believe somehow that paying $10,000 for a DUI is reasonable, because that means somehow you are buying your freedom.
You need an attorney who is honest, straightforward, and reasonable. You definitely do not want the “cheapest” lawyer, but should really ask questions about the attorney’s level of experience, their philosophy on trial/case strategies, and how they determine their fees.
On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $1200-$2500 for misdemeanor cases and felony charges typically start anywhere from $2500-$3500 (typically 3rd degree felonies) but go up from there.
If you have questions regarding what it would cost to hire a competent, experienced criminal defense attorney, and need someone who is aware of the fact that the cost matters because no one plans for these unfortunate events where they are facing criminal charges, give our criminal defense lawyers a call. We will evaluate your case and your circumstances and give you an honest assessment as to both trial/case strategy, but also the cost for our representation. We also offer various payment plans and we do not mandate or require that a client pay all of his fees prior to us resolving a case, as that would be or could be unfair to the accused and make our interests adverse to yours – something we would never do.