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Criminal Defense Lawyers in McDonough, GA: 2026 rankings

189 criminal defense lawyers ranked by LFR ScoreUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank →

The short answer

  1. 1

    Highest LFR Score in McDonough: Richard D.C. Schrade, Jr., Attorney, LFR Score 71/100; 4.8★ from 131 Google reviews; open 24/7.

  2. 2

    Open 24 hours (per Google): Thomas S. Barton: Attorney At Law, posts 24/7 hours; ranked #2 of 189.

  3. 6

    Most-reviewed: Schnipper Law, P.C., 417 Google reviews at 4.9★, the most of 189 ranked; ranked #6.

Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank

189 McDonough criminal defense lawyers are ranked here by LFR Score, from nine published factors. 41 are open 24/7, 55 open Saturdays and 48 open Sundays, based on posted hours. The median Google rating is 4.7★ across 189 rated law firms.

Top 10 criminal defense lawyers in McDonough at a glance

Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.

Top 10 criminal defense lawyers in McDonough at a glance
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingBased inHoursNotable for
1Richard D.C. Schrade, Jr., Attorney714.8★ (131)McDonoughOpen 24 hrs (Google)Top score
2Thomas S. Barton: Attorney At Law694.8★ (119)Stockbridge, 6 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Open 24 hours
3Law Offices of Villy S. Stolper, P.C.695.0★ (221)Conyers, 17 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
4The Abbott Law Firm694.5★ (98)McDonoughOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
5George C Creal Jr., PC, Trial Lawyers684.9★ (359)Atlanta, 25 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
6Schnipper Law, P.C.684.9★ (417)Atlanta, 29 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Most reviews
7Bixon Law664.9★ (172)Atlanta, 26 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
8Robert James Trial Attorneys664.6★ (371)Atlanta, 26 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
9Rock Remson Law Firm - Criminal Defense Lawyer of Atlanta665.0★ (102)Atlanta, 26 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
10Ryan Walsh Legal665.0★ (136)Atlanta, 30 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—

All 189 criminal defense lawyers in McDonough, in rank order

Ordered by LFR Score, a 0–100 score from nine published factors. Paid placement never changes the order.

Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.

Scores below: based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected. Hatched segments mark factors we don't have yet.

  4. #4 The Abbott Law Firm

    Based in McDonough

    69/100LFR Score

    Ranked #4 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 98 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.5★ from 98 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    30 Woodruff St, McDonough, GA 30253
    View profile for The Abbott Law Firm(404) 514-5900

  6. #6 Schnipper Law, P.C.

    Based in Atlanta, 29 mi away

    68/100LFR Score

    Ranked #6 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 417 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 417 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    2300 Henderson Mill Rd Ste 300, Atlanta, GA 30345
    View profile for Schnipper Law, P.C.(404) 545-5845

  7. #7 Bixon Law

    Based in Atlanta, 26 mi away

    66/100LFR Score

    Ranked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 172 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 172 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    260 Peachtree St NW Ste 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303
    View profile for Bixon Law(404) 551-5684

  10. Based in Atlanta, 30 mi away

    66/100LFR Score

    Ranked #10 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 136 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 136 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    View profile for Ryan Walsh Legal(678) 753-6431

  11. #11 W. Scott Smith

    Based in Atlanta, 26 mi away

    65/100LFR Score

    Ranked #11 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 200 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.6★ from 200 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    100 Peachtree St NW #2060, Atlanta, GA 30303
    View profile for W. Scott Smith(404) 581-0999

  13. #13 Miller, North and Brill

    Based in McDonough

    65/100LFR Score

    Ranked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 101 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.8★ from 101 Google reviews
    Hours
    Mon–Thu 8:30 AM–5:30 PM · Fri 8:30 AM–3 PM · Sat–Sun closed
    Address
    80 Macon St, McDonough, GA 30253
    View profile for Miller, North and Brill(770) 515-0951

  19. #19 Lowther | Walker

    Based in Atlanta, 26 mi away

    64/100LFR Score

    Ranked #19 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 105 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.6★ from 105 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    Centennial Tower, 101 Marietta St NW Ste 3650, Atlanta, GA 30303
    View profile for Lowther | Walker(404) 846-4792

  22. #22 Kalpin Shah Law

    Based in Atlanta, 26 mi away

    64/100LFR Score

    Ranked #22 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 65 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.8★ from 65 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    101 Marietta St NW #3325, Atlanta, GA 30303
    View profile for Kalpin Shah Law(678) 744-4529

  23. Based in Atlanta, 28 mi away

    64/100LFR Score

    Ranked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 116 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.6★ from 116 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1447 Peachtree St NE Ste 455, Atlanta, GA 30309
    View profile for Weintraub & Alper Legal(404) 907-1536

Criminal defense lawyers ranked #26 to #50

#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile. We publish the top 50 of 189 ranked criminal defense lawyers here; the rest are on their profiles.

criminal defense lawyers in McDonough, ranks 26 to 50
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingDistance
26The Law Office of Ahmad R. Crews - Atlanta Criminal Defense Lawyer644.7★ (86)28 mi
27The Doepke Law Firm, LLC634.9★ (256)20 mi
28Hendrick & Henry Law634.9★ (374)24 mi
29Blake-Stewart Law Firm, LLC625.0★ (22)26 mi
30George C. Creal Jr.624.6★ (13)18 mi
31Tevis Law Firm, LLC.624.9★ (65)26 mi
32LUBIN AN LAW625.0★ (53)28 mi
33Restored Rights Law614.8★ (103)27 mi
34Manji Law, P.C.614.9★ (148)24 mi
35The Cook Law Firm614.7★ (25)28 mi
36Stearns-Montgomery & Proctor614.4★ (98)30 mi
37Murble A. Wright Of The Wright Law Group615.0★ (7)13 mi
38Conaway & Strickler P.C.604.0★ (45)27 mi
39Dwayne C. Singleton LLC: Dwayne Singleton604.0★ (134)17 mi
40The Maloof Law Firm604.9★ (99)24 mi
41The Joyner Law Firm604.6★ (22)18 mi
42Law Office of Matthew T. McNally604.9★ (104)25 mi
43M. Qader A. Baig & Associates, LLC604.7★ (70)17 mi
44ATL LAW LLC605.0★ (14)29 mi
45Law Offices of Christopher Davis605.0★ (20)17 mi
46David LaMalva Attorney, PC604.7★ (66)17 mi
47Frost Law Firm604.6★ (108)19 mi
48S. Lamar Gardner604.0★ (32)27 mi
49Maverick Justice Group604.8★ (25)27 mi
50Hirsch Criminal Defense604.8★ (157)29 mi

Also serving McDonough

20 more criminal defense lawyers within 30 mi that we can't rank yet: too few reviews, or a practice area we couldn't confirm. Listed A to Z.

Unranked criminal defense lawyers serving McDonough
BusinessGoogle ratingDistance
Attorney Lisa M. Roberts, P.C.3.6★ (22)In McDonough
Conoscienti & Ledbetter, Attorneys at Law4.8★ (70)24 mi
Cumberland Law Group | Tax Attorneys5.0★ (11)In McDonough
Danni J Law: The Law Firm of M. Danni Jones, LLC.5.0★ (7)In McDonough
David A. Howard, Attorneys at Law, LLC.4.8★ (31)In McDonough
Kohn & Yager, LLC3.7★ (3)26 mi
Law Offices of Frederick S. Jones4.0★ (2)In McDonough
Nichole A Reynolds LLC Attorney at Law4.7★ (39)In McDonough
Scherck Baker LLC5.0★ (6)26 mi
Scott Turner Law Group3.8★ (13)15 mi
Sessoms Law Group, LLC4.8★ (378)29 mi
Sexton & Moody, P.C.4.2★ (78)In McDonough
Sexton Weldon Law Firm Accident Lawyers4.8★ (122)In McDonough
The Law Office of Dennis R. Scheib3.5★ (34)26 mi
The Law Office of Nathaniel M. Smith, LLC4.5★ (104)In McDonough
The Law Office of Sturla F. Stefansson, LLC5.0★ (31)27 mi
The Law Offices of McGuire & Bullard4.8★ (52)In McDonough
The Millar Law Firm5.0★ (57)In McDonough
The Washington Law Group, PC3.5★ (17)16 mi
Weissman PC4.6★ (86)In McDonough

How we ranked McDonough criminal defense lawyers

We scored 189 McDonough criminal defense lawyers on nine factors, weighted as shown. A law firm is ranked when its practice area is confirmed and it has 3 or more Google reviews or a claimed profile. A law firm with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency. Other unknown factors are left out, not counted as zero. Scores last refreshed November 9, 2026.

Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.

Read the full method: formula, sources and exclusions

LFR Score factors and weights
FactorWeightComputed fromIn McDonough data
Reputation25%Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back itMeasured
Bar status10%An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded)Not yet collected
Review volume10%Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the listMeasured
Recency10%Share of reviews from the last 12 monthsNot yet collected
Availability5%Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7Measured
Practice focus15%How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name)Measured
Proximity5%An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it isMeasured
Claimed profile10%The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same)Measured
Law Firms Ranked reviews10%Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there areMeasured

How to choose a criminal defense lawyer

  1. Check the lawyer’s status and any public discipline in the state bar or law society directory.
  2. Ask how many criminal defense matters the lawyer handles each year, and who at the firm will do the work.
  3. Get the fee arrangement in writing: hourly, flat or contingency, and which costs are charged on top.
  4. Ask how and how often the firm will update you, and how fast it answers calls and emails.
  5. Read recent reviews for how the firm communicated and billed, not only for outcomes.
  6. Ask whether the lawyer regularly appears in the court where your case is filed.
  7. Meet more than one firm; many offer a short first consultation, sometimes free.

Questions to ask a criminal defense lawyer

  • How would you approach a matter like mine, and what are the realistic options?
  • How do you charge, and what will the total likely cost?
  • Who will be my main contact, and how quickly do you reply?
  • What does the flat fee cover, and what costs extra if the case goes to trial?
  • Who will appear with me at each hearing?
  • Is there any conflict of interest that would stop you representing me?

Terms explained

Contingency fee
A fee that is a share of the money recovered, paid only if there is a recovery. Common in injury cases; not allowed for criminal defense or for securing a divorce.
Retainer
Money paid up front and held in a trust account, which the lawyer draws on as fees are earned.
Flat fee
One set price for a defined piece of work, such as a will or an uncontested matter.
Limited-scope representation
Paying a lawyer for part of a matter only, such as reviewing documents or coaching for one hearing (also called unbundled services).
Statute of limitations
The deadline to file a lawsuit or charge. It differs by state or province and by type of claim.
Good standing
A lawyer’s status as active and eligible to practise with a state bar or law society.
Law society
The body that licenses and disciplines lawyers in a Canadian province or territory.
Board certification
Recognition in a field of law by a state program or an organisation accredited for that purpose. Lawyers may only claim it when they hold it, naming the certifying body.
Attorney–client privilege
The rule that keeps confidential communications between a client and lawyer, made for legal advice, out of court.
Conflict check
The search a firm runs before taking a matter to make sure it does not represent someone on the other side.
Pro bono
Legal work done for free, usually for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
Legal aid
Publicly funded legal help for people with low incomes, through legal aid offices, public defenders or provincial legal aid plans.

Criminal defense lawyers in McDonough: frequently asked questions

Which criminal defense lawyer has the highest LFR Score in McDonough?

By LFR Score, the highest-ranked criminal defense lawyer in McDonough, GA is Richard D.C. Schrade, Jr., Attorney with an LFR Score of 71/100. It has 4.8★ from 131 Google reviews. It is open 24/7. Thomas S. Barton: Attorney At Law (#2) and Law Offices of Villy S. Stolper, P.C. (#3) follow. We ranked 189 criminal defense lawyers on nine factors, last updated November 9, 2026.

How many criminal defense lawyers are there in McDonough?

LawFirmsRanked ranks 189 criminal defense lawyers serving McDonough, GA. 3 of them are based in McDonough; the rest serve it from nearby towns. Another 20 within 30 mi are listed but not ranked yet. Counts are as of November 2026.

Which criminal defense lawyers in McDonough are open 24/7?

41 ranked criminal defense lawyers in McDonough post 24/7 hours. The highest-ranked are Richard D.C. Schrade, Jr., Attorney (#1), Thomas S. Barton: Attorney At Law (#2) and Law Offices of Villy S. Stolper, P.C. (#3). Hours come from each law firm's Google listing as of November 2026, so call to confirm.

Which criminal defense lawyers in McDonough work on weekends?

55 of 189 ranked criminal defense lawyers post Saturday hours and 48 post Sunday hours. The highest-ranked open Saturdays are Richard D.C. Schrade, Jr., Attorney (#1), Thomas S. Barton: Attorney At Law (#2) and Law Offices of Villy S. Stolper, P.C. (#3). Posted hours are office hours; many firms meet clients by appointment outside them.

What Google rating do McDonough criminal defense lawyers have?

The median Google rating among 189 rated criminal defense lawyers in McDonough is 4.7★, with a median of 32 reviews. Schnipper Law, P.C. has the most, 417 reviews, and ranks #6. We adjust ratings for review count, so a few five-star reviews cannot top the list.

How does LawFirmsRanked rank criminal defense lawyers?

Each criminal defense lawyer gets a 0–100 LFR Score from nine published factors, led by reputation (25%), practice focus (15%), review volume (10%) and recency (10%). A law firm with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency; other factors we cannot measure are left out. Only law firms with a confirmed practice area and 3 or more reviews, or a claimed profile, are ranked.

Do criminal defense lawyers outside McDonough count in this ranking?

Yes, if they are within 30 mi of the McDonough city center, our service radius for criminal defense lawyers. Each listing shows where the law firm is based and how far away it is. Proximity is 5% of the LFR Score, so a nearby law firm gets a small edge.

Can criminal defense lawyers pay to rank higher on LawFirmsRanked?

No. The LFR Score never reads payment status, and this ranking has 0 paid placements. Up to 3 Featured law firms may appear above the list, labelled Attorney advertising and showing their honest rank.

How do criminal defense lawyers in McDonough, GA charge?

Criminal defense lawyers usually charge a flat fee per stage (for example, through a plea or through trial) or an hourly rate. Contingency fees are not allowed in criminal cases under ABA Model Rule 1.5(d). Lawyers using Clio billed an average of $219 an hour in this area (Clio Legal Trends data, October 2026; all areas $362). Ask for the fee arrangement in writing before you agree.

What if I can’t afford a criminal defense lawyer?

If a charge can lead to jail, the court must appoint a lawyer for you if you cannot afford one (Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963; Argersinger v. Hamlin, 1972). Ask about a public defender at your first court appearance. This is general information, not legal advice.

How is this list of criminal defense lawyers in McDonough, GA ranked?

By LFR Score only, from public data on reviews, practice focus, office location and hours. Firms labelled “Attorney advertising” paid for that placement; payment never changes a rank, and a rank is not an endorsement.

Does a lawyer need an office in McDonough?

No, but the lawyer must be licensed in your state (or, for federal matters such as immigration, in some state). A local office makes meetings and court appearances easier, so proximity is one of our factors.

Update log for McDonough

  1. November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 189 criminal defense lawyers serving McDonough.

More criminal defense lawyers and McDonough pages