Chances are, you don’t have a criminal defense lawyer on speed dial or even in your address book. Indeed, few people ever anticipate needing a criminal defense lawyer. When the unthinkable happens and you or a loved one is arrested, where do you turn? And when you’re in a state of panic or desperation, how in the world do you decide which attorney to hire?

Brian Tannebaum, a Miami criminal defense lawyer, has a free e-book that answers those questions and many more. You can read it online here.

Brian’s no-nonsense advice covers everything you need to know to find the right attorney for your criminal case. He talks about attorney fees (and why the cheapest usually isn’t the best), navigating the maze of attorneys who advertise, and what questions you should ask during consultations. He also discusses why the results of a lawyer’s past cases aren’t necessarily a refection of how your case will be resolved, when to hire a specialist and when to hire a generalist, and why to be wary of lawyers with “connections.”

The bottom line? Even if you don’t need a criminal defense attorney now (and let’s hope you never will), Brian’s free e-book is well worth the read. When buying cars and other products, informed consumers are always in a better position to make the right choice. The same holds true when shopping for a lawyer.

In legal cases, lawyers sometimes use the “kitchen sink” approach, where they toss in every possible argument to refute a plaintiff’s claim. This often surfaces in Lemon Law cases, such as when attorneys for manufacturers make counterclaims that the vehicle defect came about as the result of a misdeed by the car owner.

Because of a recent ruling by the Seventh Circuit Court, however, law firms may think twice before throwing everything but the kitchen sink at plaintiffs. In United Stars Industries, Inc. v. Plastech Engineered Products, Inc., the Seventh Circuit upheld a sanction issued by the district court against the law firm Jones Day because the court considered the firm’s counterclaim baseless.

Look, we aren’t all in the Seventh Circuit, and that court’s decisions are followed countrywide. But this still sets powerful precedent and serves as a sign of caution for all of us practicing law.