When faced with criminal charges, the smartest thing you can do is find an experienced, reputable criminal defense attorney who will fight for you. Once you have that attorney, the two of you need to collaborate to come up with the best defense possible. Achieving the best results will require a few things of you:
- Discuss your goals with your attorney. What will be considered a win? Do you want to stay out of jail at all costs, or will a shorter sentence be acceptable compared to the possibility of a maximum sentence? Their strategy going forward will be different depending on your expectations.
- Be truthful with your attorney. They need to know everything about your case. Don’t leave anything out because, as any attorney will tell you, getting gobsmacked with harmful information down the road is much trickier to deal with than facing it head-on from the get-go.
- Don’t talk to the police (that’s what your Miranda Rights allow) or others about your case. That means family, your boss, insurance companies, your cellmate in jail, or anyone else.
- Keep anything related to the case organized. You may have medical records, documents, videos, emails, text messages, and more that could be relevant to your case. Don’t lose track of them! Make sure your attorney has anything and everything related to your case—whether you think it is helpful or harmful.
- Connect. If new developments arise, whether they will have a helpful or a damaging impact on your case, share them with your attorney immediately.
- Be clear about costs related to your defense.
- Be on time for meetings with your attorney. Do not waste their time.
- Be on time for any court hearings unless you want to make it more difficult for your attorney to negotiate a plea deal, all the while making a poor impression on the judge, who may become dissuaded from showing leniency.
- Dress appropriately for court. Sweats and your favorite Eagles t-shirt will not impress. You should prepare as though you are going in for a job interview. This is every bit as important.
- Stay off of social media. You can bet that the prosecutor will have a team looking through whatever they can find about you online and will use whatever they can to make you look bad.
- Listen to your attorney’s advice. They are working for you, and they are making decisions based on their knowledge and experience in order to come out with a win for you. Ignoring them will make success more difficult to achieve.
Your Legal Advocate
The dedicated criminal defense attorneys at Boertje & Associates always fight for the best possible outcomes for you. To discuss your situation, contact our San Diego office today.