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When To Contact An Attorney in Newport News

Contrary to what many people think, asking for an attorney does not imply guilt. Unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon at all for individuals to make the mistake of speaking to the police before they get an attorney and oftentimes this does a lot more harm than good. The police are definitely aware of what your rights are and they definitely understand that people have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. These rights do not have an effect on guilt—they’re just basic rights that everyone is entitled to. As a result if you are charged or taken into custody it is important that the first thing you do is consult with a Newport News criminal defense attorney.

Does It Imply Guilty If I Don’t Consent to a Search?

Refusing to consent to a search also does not imply guilt. It’s the same situation where someone is just aware of their rights. You don’t have to consent to a search and oftentimes, when officers don’t have probable cause, they’re really hoping that the person will just consent and then they won’t need to get a warrant or establish probable cause to perform the search in the first place.

It’s not possible for an officer to search someone or their vehicle on just a hunch and they know that they need probable cause to do so. So, without your consent, they have nothing.

When Can I Contact An Attorney In The Criminal Process In Newport News?

It’s possible for you to contact an attorney before you are officially charged with a crime, this is the best time to do it because it gives you the knowledge of what to expect well before it happened and an attorney can prepare you by answering all your questions and telling you what’s likely is going to happen at each stage in the process.

Having an attorney in advance will also prevent you from telling too much to the police or to investigators which you may hurt your case anyway. You shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that you don’t need an attorney and finding out later when it’s too late that you are wrong and then having to hire an attorney anyway to get you out of an even bigger mess that could have just been avoided in the first place.

What to Know When Being Questioned by Police

The most important thing to know is what you are required to answer. Generally, if someone is in custody and the police want to question them, they don’t have to answer anything at all without an attorney and they really shouldn’t unless their lawyer tells them otherwise.

Advantages of a Criminal Defense Law Firm

A private defense attorney at a law firm has the advantage of much more time than most other attorneys, especially solos and public defenders. They also have an entire network of people whose brains they can pick or who they can sit down with and get ideas from or tactics that they maybe wouldn’t have thought of themselves in order to go about a particular case. This network expands to more than just resources for the case itself, but also to the client in terms of availability. Someone who comes from a law firm has the advantage of an entire team of people who are there to answer the phone if they’re not available (e.g., if the lawyer is in court), so the client is never going to be left wondering what’s going on because there’s always going to be someone that they can talk to right away.

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