Are you wondering how to prepare for a consultation with a criminal defense lawyer in Phoenix, Arizona? The initial consultation with your lawyer is a key step in the life of your case. What happens in this meeting can set the tone for the rest of the case. It is important to take this meeting seriously.
The best way to take it seriously is to be prepared. The best way to prepare for your consultation is by following these steps.
One of the most important ways to prepare for a consultation with a criminal defense lawyer in Phoenix is to avoid talking about your case with anyone besides your attorney. This includes conversations face to face, on the phone, by text, email, or any messaging app.
Anyone you talk to about your charges is a potential witness that could be forced to testify against you in court. Prosecutors are good at finding out who your partner, friends, and close relatives are. They may subpoena them and order them to come to court to testify against you.
Similarly, your text messages, emails, and DM’s are all potential evidence against you. The government can get a search warrant for your phone and break into it. They can subpoena the cell phone or app company for your personal messages.
The only person you can talk to and communicate with any sort of confidentially is your criminal defense lawyer. It can be very tempting to discuss your case with your support system when you are experiencing stress. However, this can sink your case before it even really begins.
Resist the temptation to talk to others. Save everything you want to say about it for your lawyer. This is the only way to protect your best interest.
Some legal websites suggest writing down information about the incident that led to the charges so they remember everything. This is a bad idea. Any personal notes are potential evidence that could be used against you.
Imagine this: before you meet with your lawyer, law enforcement gets a search warrant. You wrote down an incriminating statement in a notebook about what happened. Police seize the notes as evidence. The prosecution would likely use this evidence to prove your guilt.
Communications with your lawyer are confidential; your personal notes are not. Want to avoid any incriminating accounts falling into the wrong hands? Do not take notes about what happened. You can put them in a communication sent directly to your lawyer after you have hired them. You can write down what happened in your lawyer’s office. But you should not write down anything for yourself.
One of the most important ways to prepare for a consultation with your lawyer is to prepare a list of questions to ask them. When you are accused of a crime, you may not know what to do next. This is where your lawyer comes in.
You have the right to counsel for a reason. It is the only way to ensure a fair court system. You deserve to take full advantage of your right to an attorney under the Sixth Amendment. In order to take full advantage of your rights, you should ask your attorney any and all questions you have about your case.
Some questions you should make sure to ask your lawyer include:
Asking these questions, and any others you have, will help give you some peace of mind during your case. Being thorough at the initial meeting with your criminal defense attorney will set you up for a successful attorney-client relationship.
One of the most important things you can do to get ready for your consultation is to think about your goals for the case. Your lawyer will want to understand your goals after discussing the charges you are facing.
Your goals may adjust up or down depending on what you discuss at your initial meeting. A realistic goal may need to change depending on the charges, the evidence, the prosecutor, the judge, and your criminal record. All of these factors come together during the goal-setting process.
At the end of the day, it is your case, and you are free to set any goal you want with the advice of your attorney. Your lawyer will advise you to the best of their ability about what goals you should set. Then they will fight as hard as they can to try to achieve them.
Now you know how to prepare for a consultation with a criminal defense lawyer in Phoenix, Arizona.
If you prepare a list of questions, think about your goals, and avoid talking to others or making incriminating notes, you will be well on your way to doing everything you can to protect your future. Once you meet with your lawyer, they will begin advising you about what to do next.
If you are facing criminal charges in the Phoenix area, contact our law firm for help.
