What To Know When Defending Yourself Against Criminal Charges

5 December 2018
 Categories: Law, Blog


Being convicted of a criminal accusation can have long-lasting and severe impacts on your life. In order to minimize the risks of being convicted, individuals will need to actively take steps to strengthen their criminal defense or to at least avoid undermining it.

Choose An Attorney That Has Experience With Your Particular Type Of Case

The laws concerning criminal charges and accusations can have numerous intricacies, and it can be wise to have an attorney that has experience with your particular case represent you. They may be more likely to be familiar with technicalities, legal defenses and other strategies that may be successful with your defense.

Limit Any Public Comments Or Discussions About Your Case

One of the worst mistakes that clients often make with their cases will be to discuss them freely. While individuals often assume that celebrities and politicians are the only ones that make public statements, social media has changed this. In addition to potentially providing clues or other evidence to the prosecution, these statements may be used to discredit the testimony that you have provided or other elements of your defense. By avoiding making any statements about your case, you can avoid these potential risks.

Avoid Contacting Witnesses Or Other Individuals Involved In The Case

Contacting the other parties that are involved with the case can be a major mistake to make. Witness tampering can be a series offense, and it is important to make sure that you are taking the appropriate steps to avoid giving the impression that this was your goal. In the event that you need to communicate with other parties in your case, this should be done through your legal representative to avoid this potential risk.

Understand The Billing Structure Your Attorney Uses

It is a reality that a criminal defense can take many months or longer to conclude. As a result, the legal expenses from defending yourself against these charges can be difficult to budget. When you hire an attorney, it is important to be thoroughly familiar with the way that they will bill you. Some of these professionals represent clients based on flat fees while others charge hourly rates and require retainer fees. In addition to informing you of the expense structure at the start of your working relationship, your attorney should be able to regularly provide expense updates that should you how the retainer is being spent so that you can anticipate when you will need to replenish it.


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