After police arrest you and Colorado Springs prosecutors charge you with a crime, arranging for a criminal defense attorney free consultation should be your top priority. This is your first chance to get answers about what to do, what could happen next, and what the criminal attorney thinks is the best way to proceed.
This initial meeting is the attorney’s first chance to find out about you, the facts and circumstances behind your arrest and charges, and all information that might be relevant to your defense. So, while you will have plenty of questions for the lawyer, the best criminal defense attorney in Colorado Springs will have lots of questions for you as well.
You Can Speak Freely At Your Criminal Defense Attorney Free Consultation
The first thing to understand about your criminal defense attorney free consultation is that you should be completely open and honest when discussing your case.
The attorney-client privilege protects everything you say to the lawyer (unless you threaten to commit another crime, hurt someone, or commit fraud). This privilege also covers everything the attorney says to you. The attorney-client privilege applies even before you decide whether to hire the lawyer or if you never hire them at all.
The attorney-client privilege exists so people can get vital legal advice without worrying about whether anything they say can or will be used against them. It doesn’t matter if your free consultation takes place in person, over the phone, over email, or otherwise. If you intend for your words to be confidential, they will be confidential.
Feel free to confirm attorney-client privilege the lawyer at the beginning of your free consultation.
When you hire a Colorado Springs criminal defense lawyer, he or she is there to fight for you. To do so effectively, they need to know everything they can about the incident that led to your arrest, the arrest itself, and any other facts and information the attorney believes to be relevant.
Related: Help! My Colorado Springs Criminal Defense Attorney is Not Fighting for Me
When the lawyer asks you questions, don’t hold anything back. You need to presume that everything – good and bad – will come out at some point. Even if you think that the information is meaningless, even if you think your answer will hurt your case, your lawyer needs to know that information now. He or she is asking you questions for a reason. Even if that reason is not clear to you, it will be to the lawyer.
Questions About You
In your criminal defense attorney free consultation, the lawyer will want to first get some basic information about you, the charges, and your current situation. You should expect the lawyer to ask you for:
- Your full name
- Your contact information
- Your current employment and employment history
- Your family situation
- Your criminal history
- Your immigration status
- Any documentation you have related to the incident, your arrest, or charges, such as charging documents, bail documentation, or police reports
Questions About The Incident
Your lawyer will want to know, in your own words, what happened that led to your arrest and charges. He or she may ask:
- Where were you before the incident?
- What were you doing immediately before the incident?
- Who were you with at the time?
- Where and when did the incident take place?
- Why were you there?
- What did you do or not do at the time?
- What did you say, and who did you say it to before or during the incident?
- What, if anything, did other people say or do?
- Did anyone witness the incident, and, if so, who were they?
Questions About Your Stop, Search, and Arrest
How and why police pulled over, searched, or arrested you can be a critical element of your defense. If they overstepped their bounds or violated your constitutional and legal rights at any point, it can result in the exclusion and inadmissibility of any wrongfully obtained evidence or a dismissal of the charges altogether.
Questions might include:
- Where were you when the police arrested you?
- How did the officers approach you?
- What did the officers say to you?
- If you were driving, did the officer say why they pulled you over?
- Did you consent to a search of your car or home?
- Did the officers conduct such a search, and if so, what did they find?
- Did the officers have a search warrant, and if so, did they show you a copy?
- What did the officers do leading up to, during, and after your arrest?
- Upon your arrest, did the officer read you your Miranda rights?
- If police questioned you, did you ask for a lawyer, and if so, did the officers keep asking you questions?
- Describe the circumstances of any interrogation, including what the officers said and did and what you said and did.
Protect Yourself: Speak to a Criminal Defense Attorney Immediately
The sooner you have experienced Colorado Springs criminal defense lawyers on your side, the better it will be for your defense. The first step in that process is arranging for your criminal defense attorney free consultation as soon as possible after your arrest. The questions the attorney asks you, and the full, honest answers you provide, can contain the keys to beating the charges against you.