There are thousands of criminal attorneys and law firms in the country that handle defense cases. Selecting the right attorney for your case can be an overwhelming decision that will affect the rest of your life. We have seen disastrous consequences when people selected the wrong lawyer for their case.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of deceptive claims made by law firms. Unlike other businesses, you don’t get a second chance if you select the wrong attorney for your case. Whether you retain the services of our firm or another, we strongly urge you to do your homework before hiring an attorney. Here are some helpful guidelines.

MAKE SURE YOU SPEAK TO A REAL ATTORNEY.

When you call a law firm to discuss your case, make sure the person to whom you are speaking is a criminal attorney. If you are not speaking with an attorney, you are not getting legal advice. It is illegal for non-attorneys to dispense legal advice. Be wary of any firm that offers a free “consultation” and does not let you speak directly with an attorney.

Make sure you ask for the name of the person to whom you are speaking and ask if he/she is a criminal attorney. Remember that each attorney has a license number that you can use to check their record with their local bar association. Do not hesitate to ask for this number.

MEET YOUR CRIMINAL DEFENSE TEAM.

We are strong believers in team work. Attorneys are busy, and small law firms often juggle a heavy case load. The most successful results come from a group of people working together on investigation, trial preparation and client services. Here are some important considerations with team-based criminal defense.

  • Who will handle your questions when your attorney is in court on another case?
  • Does your law firm have the resources to compete against state or federal prosecutors?
  • Do any of their attorneys have experience as prosecutors? Criminal defense attorneys who have experience as former prosecutors can use their inside knowledge to your advantage.

Make sure you have a complete team that can work intensively on your case. The prosecution has a team. So should you.

UNDERSTAND THE LEGAL FEES AND HOW THEY WILL BE USED.

It is common in criminal defense to charge a fixed fee up front for a case. Make sure these fees actually go to funding your defense and getting you the best possible result. Beware of these business practices:

  • Some firms take your money and then subcontract most or all of the actual legal work for a small fraction of what you paid! Make sure the firm you hired is actually the firm that will handle your case.
  • Whether or not your case goes to trial, thorough trial preparation is a key element of an effective defense. Make sure your legal fees include trial time, and make sure your law firm will spend the time needed to get your trial-ready. Criminal lawyers are generally required to represent you in court, and you don’t want a lawyer to plea your rights away just to avoid the expense of spending time in court.
  • Make sure your law firm does not spend your legal fees up front rather than as they are earned. Otherwise, there will be no money left to finish your case in the event that your lawyer is unable to do so. Your law firm or attorney should reserve unearned fees. Be sure you demand a regular accounting of these fees.

CHECK FOR BAR COMPLAINTS.

One of the easiest things to do is check the credentials of your attorney with the state bar. Ask your attorney to provide you with a link to his or her profile on the state bar web site. Pay attention to complaints and disciplinary action!

CHECK THE TRACK RECORD OF RESULTS.

Ask for real case results from your law firm. After all, isn’t a successful result the reason you are hiring a lawyer in the first place? Lawyers with proven track records not only generate better results in court, their reputation helps keep cases out of court in the first place. Ask your criminal lawyer how many cases like yours they have handled.

ASK FOR RELEVANT TRIAL EXPERIENCE.

Every criminal case is different. Make sure the law firm you hire has specific experience in cases like yours. Specialists are always a better bet than general practitioners. In the same way that you would not ask your family doctor to perform brain surgery, you would not want an attorney who dabbles in many different areas of law to handle your specific criminal case. In criminal defense, experience counts!

Gina Tennen

Founder

At A Glance

  • Expert legal strategist.
  • Experienced in both prosecution and defense.
  • Relentless fighter for her clients with results to prove it.
  • Received the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers Award
  • Featured in Time Magazine’s “Leaders of Criminal Defense” in the 100 Most Influential People edition.

Executive Managing Attorney Gina Tennen is a renowned leading advocate of personal liberties. Her meticulous trial preparation and exceptional ability to pursue every possible defense has earned her the admiration of clients and respect from prosecutors, judges, and other criminal attorneys all over the nation.

Lawyer Tennen began her career as a Senior Law Clerk for one of the toughest District Attorney’s offices in the country where she gained remarkable experience in juvenile crimes, elder abuse, parole hearings, child abuse, sex and other serious crimes. Her experience at the District Attorney’s Office armed her knowledge and case strategy in exploiting the other side’s weaknesses for the client’s advantage and building a rock solid defense. Criminal attorney Tennen’s experience on both sides and brilliant maneuvering throughout is evidenced in her winning track record. In fact, even before earning her law degree, she was instrumental in getting excellent results on several criminal cases outshining her peers.

A consummate strategist and top criminal attorney, lawyer Tennen works tirelessly on many high profile criminal cases. She is known as a relentless fighter who never gives up on any case. Whether the case is hers or handled by another criminal defense attorney from LibertyBell Law Group, no matter how small the case may seem she asserts that every client deserves the right to the best legal representation.

It is her deep belief and what she has built her entire career and lifelong dedication to that there is always hope for every client and every avenue should be pursued regardless of the time and energy it takes. For criminal attorney, Gina Tennen, devoting the finest criminal defense for clients is a habit and talent that you must apply and do all the time.

You demand the best defense. Take hold of your life and speak to our defense attorneys by calling 855-LAW-PRO1 (855-529-7761) now.

Founder Gina Tennen and all the defense attorneys at LibertyBell Law Group uphold that when the bell rings, it rings for life and liberty for all.

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WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY:
Gina was like a lioness protecting her cub.

    

I hired Gina and her team for my son who was facing 10 years for something they said he did when he was 17 years old. Gina was like a lioness protecting her cub. She did not stop. She fought hard and was able to defend the charges. We are so grateful to her and her team. They gave us our son. He recovered his life!

– L. W.
Best defense lawyers in the country.

    

I hired this law firm in 2014 for my son who was facing 16 years in prison for a felony robbery. Lina Helou answered all our questions. I was extremely distraught regarding what my son was facing but Lina comforted me and told me that it would be okay. And thank goodness LibertyBell saved my son from going to jail and they were able to obtain only 3 years of probation. I could not have hired a better law firm for my son and if you want the best defense call LibertyBell Law Group. Thank God for this great group of lawyers.

– V. J.
A great team of lawyers.

    

I do not have enough words to describe how incredible the experience with this firm was. They work very hard to make sure you have winning results. I could not have asked for better service from the moment I called, until my case was over. I was glad I made the right choice. Thank you again LibertyBell Law Group!

– S. O.
She took her time to review all of my evidence and proved my innocence.

    

My father had found this group through his company and coworkers. I was assigned Gina Tennen and I cannot explain in just a review on how gratefull I am to be working with her. My case was an accusation of unlawful sex. This had looked extremely bad on my part since I was in a fraternity and she was in a sorority. During these times with Greek life, there are too many bad stigmas surrounding these organizations. Gina had believed in me and knew that I was innocent and that these accusations just were not true. She took her time to review all of my evidence and proved my innocence. I totally recommend this law group because they are willing to put in the work to help your situation.

– C. D.
Gina always kept me fully aware of how the case was proceeding.

    

When I first heard I was under a criminal investigation, I initially thought I would try and resolve this in the best way possible, without legal representation, as we were all interested in a "just" outcome. I quickly discovered that was not the case and contacted Gina at LibertyBell. She clearly described the expectations and the choices available to me. She was always available to me, and when I called, if she couldn't talk with me at that time, she would quickly get back to me. Gina always kept me fully aware of how the case was proceeding. Her fee's were stipulated up front, as well as what those fees covered and what they did not.

– S. B.
Attorney Gina Tennen was on point from day one.

    

Attorney Gina Tennen was on point from day one putting pressure on the sherrif's office to get things handled. With Child molestation accusatinos being thrown around Gina and Attorney Castro were great at keeping the pressure on and had no charges filled. The DCFS indications were appealed and we won with flying colors. Great service, great work, and will use again for all legal matters.

– A. B.
Will Recommend, Total Experience, Awesome Team

    

Being involved in legal matters can be scary. When researching who to put my trust in, I came across Liberty and I am glad that I did. From the first time that I met with Gina and her team she made me feel comfortable and listened to all that I had to say. She assured me that her team would be on it and that they would do everything that they could! A little while in, Alan took over my case. When meeting with him you can tell that this is his passion and I immediately knew he was going to do everything in his power to make the outcome right! He was relentless and worked day and night working on the case. He kept in constant communication with me and truly cared not only about me but about my family as well. I am forever grateful for the support that this whole team has given me and would definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking for truly the best lawyers!

– L. B.

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