Why It’s Important To Hire An Attorney After An Arrest

Though it’s regularly depicted in movies and tv, most people do not truly understand why it’s important to hire an attorney after an arrest. Often times when someone is arrested their main focus is on posting a bond and getting out of custody. While this is certainly important and an effective lawyer can often help with getting a bond lowered it is critical to remember that once a bond is paid your case is still active. 

One of the most critical stages of a criminal case is when a defense attorney can make contact with the State Attorney handling your case before they have made a filing decision on your case. At this stage, everyone has often had a chance to tell their versions of events aside from the accused. The victims or witnesses have often already given statements and the police officers have already written their reports. It is vital to your case that a defense attorney take you from just being a name on an arrest and booking report and into a person whose story is told to the State before they officially file charges. 

The state is often unaware of everything that led up to the incident of your arrest or may not have all the pieces to the puzzle when they are making their decision. Contact with the State before they make their decision can often lead to the difference in more serious charges being reduced or no charges being filed at all. An effective defense attorney will be able to lay out all the facts to the state and tell your version of events to the prosecutor before a final decision is made. It is also important to remember that reduced or dismissed charges can positively affect a bond amount as the original bond amount will be reduced if the charges are lowered or dropped. It is critical that you meet with your attorney as soon as possible after your arrest. 

Be sure and inform them in great detail of all that took place and do not withhold any information from your attorney when describing what took place. Your attorney is there to help you and can only be effective if they know everything that happened. Along with not withholding any information from your attorney, it is also critical that you accurately represent what took place. If you tell your attorney information that is inaccurate or what will not bear out during investigation it is likely your case will lose credibility with the State and any better offers you might have received will be off the table. Time is of the essence after one is arrested and hiring an effective criminal defense attorney is often the single most important decision that can be made when facing a criminal charge. It is important to have an attorney who is experienced and has a history of dealing with the prosecutors in whatever jurisdiction you are arrested. 

A person who has been arrested should also strive to abide by all the pre-trial conditions set by the court as any violation of those conditions would be a significant setback in attempting to reduce the charges or having them ultimately dropped. Pre-trial conditions can often include no contact with the victim or witnesses and not having any new arrests while out on bond. Any violation of these conditions often leads to a person being incarcerated until the conclusion of their case. Timing is everything after an arrest and an effective defense attorney can often make up for what feels like lost ground when one has been arrested. Telling your story and making sure that the State has all of the facts available are vital parts of defending a case. Make sure that you contact a criminal defense attorney who can advocate on your behalf as soon as possible after being arrested and facing charges.