Q: I my attorney deals with my estate matters, can I use the same attorney to represent a family matter in a criminal case?
A: There is nothing that prohibits an estate attorney from representing a person in a criminal matter. However (and this is a BIG however), would you let a heart surgeon operate on your brain, saying that a surgeon is a surgeon? I would not recommend it. Just as with any service you are seeking, you want to be certain that the person you hire has experience and expertise in the field. If any of my family members needed representation in a criminal case, I would want an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent them. Having an estate attorney fumble his/her way through it probably will not get the best result for the client.
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