I’ve been arrested, so what do I do now? Call a lawyer immediately! Hiring a criminal defense attorney should be the first thing you do after an arrest! This is the single most important step after an arrest, yet too few individuals heed this advice. Do not wait until immediately before your court date to hire an attorney! Waiting will only hurt your case. Contact the Law Office of Gregory A. Hicks now.
Whether you intend to hire an attorney to negotiate on your behalf or to aggressively try your case in court, time is of the essence and, for the following reasons, you need to contact a lawyer right away:
1. TIME TO PAY YOUR LAWYER: Contacting an attorney immediately after your arrest also gives you more time to pay your attorney. Clients often wish to make payments toward their attorney’s fees and our office will gladly work with clients to set up payment arrangements, but all attorneys fees must be paid prior to your court date. If you wait until the eve of your court date, you have very little time left to make payments toward your attorney’s fees. Some cases take months or even years before they are placed on a court calendar, so clients may have a great deal of time to make steady payments toward their lawyer’s fees.
2. PRESERVE EVIDENCE FOR TRIAL: Contacting an attorney immediately is key for evidence preservation and trial preparation. Immediately after an arrest, your memory is fresh and you can provide detailed information about the arrest, which could make a key difference in your defense. Clients often don’t realize how important this information is until an attorney starts asking questions. As time goes by, memories fade and key information (information which the client likely didn’t realize was important) is forgotten. Clients who wait to hire a lawyer always forget key information and may ultimately hinder the trial of their case.
3. BETTER OUTCOME: In some cases, an attorney can negotiate a better outcome in your case prior to your case ever going to court. Some prosecutors are more willing to reduce or even dismiss charges in the initial stages of a case because it saves everyone time and effort. In many jurisdictions, after a prosecutor has presented your case to a grand jury or gone through the process to initiate formal charges against you, they have less negotiating room. If you contact an attorney immediately after your arrest, you may never have to go to court or if you do go to court, you will be going in looking at a much better result.
4. ASSIST YOU IN THE LEGAL PROCESS: An attorney can help you navigate the legal process. Often, you have to go to court several times before your case is resolved. An attorney can explain to you the significance of each court appearance. In some instances, like an initial appearance, an attorney may be able to appear in court on your behalf and you may not have to go.
5. PEACE OF MIND: Knowing that you have a knowledgeable and experienced attorney to represent your best interests can give you peace of mind. An arrest can be a scary process. The daunting task of navigating a courtroom can be even scarier. An attorney can not only explain the process to you but they can also help you be prepared and advise you on what to expect. In a stressful situation, having someone to help you through it can be the greatest stress relief. Waiting to call an attorney only worsens your situation. If you hire an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately after your arrest, you can rest assured that you get the best outcome possible.