I was watching some cop show over the weekend and a guy being interrogated by the cops said, “I want to speak to my lawyer.”
…my lawyer.
Not a lawyer. Not a public defender. Not some guy off the street with a vague notion of law. My lawyer.
I don’t have a lawyer.
My wife and I hired one when we bought our house to make sure all the legal papers were in order and such. We hired him because he was the same guy my father-in-law used to buy their house and he was nearby. I haven’t spoken to him before or since, so I wouldn’t consider him my lawyer. Besides, I doubt he would be well versed enough in criminal law to help me out much if I were ever to be arrested for a crime.
I have never been arrested or even accused of committing a criminal act, nor do I plan to. But I’ve read enough newspapers to know that that kind of thing happens every so often. And I know from reading the Dope that if I am ever arrested, the only words out of my mouth should be, “I want to talk to my lawyer.”
I figure after being arrested is probably not the best time to start looking for a lawyer.
Does anyone already have a lawyer that they would call in such a circumstance? If so, how and when did you find him/her? Should I build up some kind of rapport with the lawyer before hand? If so, how would I do that?
I have a lawyer because I’m currently involved in a lawsuit. If I ever got arrested, I’d call him first and let him refer me to someone that he trusts who specializes in criminal law instead of civil.
The best thing to do is get friendly with the civil and criminal assignment clerks. They’re the ones who handle the logistics of the courts’ dockets. They will know every lawyer in the area who is in court on a regular basis and can tell you who’s hot, who’s heading to rehab, who’s past their prime and who is just too fucking stupid to live.
Of course you won’t get the straight dope walking in off of the street. So the level of honesty you get will depend on a lot of factors. I would find out who these guys are and who their immediate subordinates are. Hanging out at the court house might get you enough names to drop to open a door here or there. Then see if you might know anyone who happens to know any of these guys. If so and you can get a personal intro, that would put you out in front. If not, then you just have to try a more indirect route.
It all depends on how important it is to you and how much time you are willing to put in. It shouldn’t require much effort, but definitely some time.
Make sure you get someone with experience. When I did an internship with legal aid there were some private attorneys that were asking me how things were done in the courtroom.
And it’s experience within the county you’re arrested that you want most. General criminal law experience is nice, but it won’t help when you need your lawyer to beg the DA for a better deal. It helps if the DA has a good history with the guy.
The flip side of this is that you might get someone so jaded that he won’t fight for a better than average deal. He’ll just recommend you take the plea agreement usually offered to everyone, when a little more work would have gotten you a better deal.