Being charged with any crime—even a traffic offense or misdemeanor charge—can have serious consequences regarding the sentence you could face and your life in general. Even if you are guilty of the crime you are accused of committing, there may be defenses that could result in the charges against you being dismissed or reduced to a lesser offense. You need to do everything you can to minimize the potential negative outcomes of your arrest. How do you do this? One way is to do whatever you can to help your criminal defense attorney defend you.
Ways You Can Help Your Criminal Defense Attorney With Your Defense
Even when you hire an experienced criminal defense attorney, you cannot expect him to successfully defend you without your cooperation and assistance. You and your attorney are a team, and you can do many things to help him or make his job harder by not following his advice or making mistakes. If you want a successful outcome in your case, follow these guidelines:
- Tell him your goals. As your attorney investigates your case and keeps you informed about possible outcomes in your case, be clear on your goals with him and what would be acceptable. For example, if you are willing to accept a plea agreement, you want to be certain that he knows this. Informing your attorney of your goals can help him shape your defense and to work toward achieving an outcome that you are willing to accept.
- Talk about cost. Hiring experts or an investigator and taking depositions costs money and time. While you want the best possible defense, you also need to be realistic about what you can afford and should communicate this to your lawyer.
- Be honest. You need to be 100 percent honest with your attorney if you want him to prepare the best defense for you. Answer his questions truthfully and thoroughly. Remember that attorney-client privilege protects your conversations with your attorney and that he has a duty to fight the charges whether or not he knows that you are guilty. By being honest with your lawyer, you avoid him discovering surprises that could hurt your defense and that could prevent him from giving you an honest evaluation of what could happen in your case.
- Do not talk to the police. The police are looking for statements or other information from you that they can use to strengthen their criminal case. If you have any information to disclose to the police or the prosecutor, you should discuss this with your attorney and let him convey it to them if he decides that it is in your best interests.
- Provide information promptly. Provide your attorney with the contact information for potential witnesses and any other helpful information for your defense promptly. An attorney needs this information to help build your case. Even if a witness does not want to testify, provide his information to your attorney and let him know this. Your attorney may decide to subpoena the person to testify at a hearing or your trial. Keep in mind that the earlier you provide helpful information to your attorney the more likely it is that he will have time to follow up on it and be better prepared for your hearings
- Stay off social media. You never want to post anything about your criminal case on social media. The prosecutor, his investigator, or the police will find it. If possible, stay off social media altogether until your criminal case is resolved.
- Stay in touch with your attorney. Your attorney needs to be able to contact you at all times, so you need to provide him with your current contact information. Take an active role in your case by regularly communicating with your attorney about the progress in your case. However, avoid contacting him on a daily basis.
- Be on time for appointments and court hearings. You want to be on time for any court hearings. A good way to do this is to plan to be there early.
- Dress appropriately and be respectful. When you attend court hearings, you want to make a good impression on the judge. You can do this by dressing appropriately as if you were going to a job interview and being respectful of the judge, court bailiff, and other court personnel.
- Follow your attorney’s advice. You hired your attorney to help defend you and give you advice on what to do. If you want to achieve the best possible outcome, you need to follow your attorney’s advice.
Have you been charged with a crime? Call our Fairfax office or start an online chat today to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our trusted criminal defense attorneys to learn how the superior legal representation we provide to our clients can help you.