First and foremost it depends on you cash situation. (PS there should be a handcuffs or scales icon for these threads)
Legal Aid is means tested unless you are under 18 (i think), so if you have a shitload of assets (eg own your own house, cars, etc) you may find it difficult to get their free help.
Further the amount of time, skill and resources that get spent on getting you off is usually proportional to the amount of money you can afford. An example - you get busted for minor possession (eg 1 or 2 pills), to get a lawyer to follow the case through for you will probably cost in the vicinity of $1,000, again dependant on city, firm, etc. Legal Aid and the like are free, and while they will do their best for you, they are using the resources that are shared between all, and the time spent on your case will subsequently have to suffer.
If looking for a good lawyer a good place to ask (if you can't be recommended by someone) would be the law institute as stated above, the council for civil liberties in your state, or call legal aid, and if you aren't eligable, they can recommend someone to you. Failing that hit the phone book, most firms list their specialities.
A note - the big law firms you see in town usually DO NOT specialise in criminal law (well not the minor drugs possession criminal stuff, more like white collar crime) so they may not be the best port of call. Criminal law firms are usually specialist.
Further to BT's points above about listing firms - i can guarantee very few firms would like to be associated with a message board on drugs, and the whole of bluelight might not be the clientele they are aiming to entice.
Hope that's useful.
Legal Aid is means tested unless you are under 18 (i think), so if you have a shitload of assets (eg own your own house, cars, etc) you may find it difficult to get their free help.
Further the amount of time, skill and resources that get spent on getting you off is usually proportional to the amount of money you can afford. An example - you get busted for minor possession (eg 1 or 2 pills), to get a lawyer to follow the case through for you will probably cost in the vicinity of $1,000, again dependant on city, firm, etc. Legal Aid and the like are free, and while they will do their best for you, they are using the resources that are shared between all, and the time spent on your case will subsequently have to suffer.
If looking for a good lawyer a good place to ask (if you can't be recommended by someone) would be the law institute as stated above, the council for civil liberties in your state, or call legal aid, and if you aren't eligable, they can recommend someone to you. Failing that hit the phone book, most firms list their specialities.
A note - the big law firms you see in town usually DO NOT specialise in criminal law (well not the minor drugs possession criminal stuff, more like white collar crime) so they may not be the best port of call. Criminal law firms are usually specialist.
Further to BT's points above about listing firms - i can guarantee very few firms would like to be associated with a message board on drugs, and the whole of bluelight might not be the clientele they are aiming to entice.
Hope that's useful.