Getting Sound Advice
When Should You Start Mounting A Criminal Defense?
Hailey Ruiz
Waiting until you've been charged with an offense could waste precious time for mounting a criminal defense. However, it can be tough to decide when it might be time to hire a criminal defense lawyer. Anyone facing one of these situations, though, should consider retaining counsel.
Police Questioning
If the police want to question you, it's a good idea to ask to have a criminal defense attorney present. You have the right to remain silent under criminal defense law, and you should invoke it until your lawyer shows up and advises you.
Never assume the police are playing it straight with you, either. The police can lie to people under a range of circumstances. Also, never accept the idea that you're just a witness or a person of interest. Even if you are a witness, there is the potential for criminal exposure. For example, the police may accuse you of covering up for someone else. Regardless of what the situation appears to be, have a criminal defense lawyer present whenever you answer a police officer's questions.
Media Interest
The court of public opinion can be just as dangerous as a court of law in the modern environment. If media interest is growing around allegations that you did something, you should request counsel. This applies even if the police seem to show no interest. If a reporter or even a podcaster starts publicizing claims that link you in any way to a criminal offense, you need to think about how you'll respond. An attorney can tell what to say if anything when someone inquires about an allegation.
Search
If the police conduct a search, that's another time you should request counsel. While a criminal defense attorney probably can't halt the search, they can at least advise you regarding how to respond. You should take some mental notes about the search, such as where the police conducted it and why.
Even if the police had a search warrant, they have to explicitly state what they are looking for. If the police didn't operate within the limits of the warrant, you may have grounds for asking a judge to outright dismiss a case or at least exclude some evidence.
Grand Jury
This is a tricky one because the law doesn't require the state to notify you if it has convened a grand jury investigation about you. However, news can leak. Likewise, a prosecutor might elect to tell you to see how you respond. If you know there's a grand jury, you should lawyer up.
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When I was younger, I had a hard time following the rules. I got in with a bad group of friends, and I found myself in juvenile detention more than a few times. When I was sixteen, a teacher sat me down and explained where my life was leading. That teacher was the first person that believed in me, and I decided not to let him down. That day, I decided to change my life, and I did. Because of his sound advice, I was able to finish high school, get into a great college, and become a criminal attorney. I understand the uphill battle that troubled youth face, and I want to use this website to teach other people what they need to do to turn things around.