We love working with clients to help them navigate the criminal justice system, but it’s not always easy. Sometimes the client ends up making the situation harder on themselves because of their actions or words. Below, we take a closer look at some examples of things you shouldn’t say to your lawyer or things we hate to hear from clients, because it oftentimes makes our jobs tougher.
What We Hate Hearing
Here are four things we hate when clients tell us.
1. “I told the police everything.” – The police are not your friends when you are the center of a criminal investigation. They may say things like “If you’re innocent, you’ve got nothing to hide,” or “Just tell us the truth and you’ll be fine,” but anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. Instead, we love hearing from clients that they kept their mouth shut and asked for a lawyer.
2. “I don’t want to pay a retainer.” – Some clients don’t like being asked to put money down at the outset of their case, and while we trust our clients to pay what they owe, we simply need to be able to withdraw funds when necessary as they are being used throughout your case. You pay a down payment for a number of other services, and legal representation is no different. We work hard to come up with a payment plan that suits your needs, but we also need you to understand that for some cases, we’ll need a retainer.
3. “I got in more trouble.” – If you’re facing criminal charges, keep your head down. Don’t go out and cause more problems for yourself by getting arrested again. Not only can you face increased charges and potential penalties, but the judge isn’t going to see your continued behavior as a sign that you’ve learned a lesson from your mistake. If we tell you to stay out of the bars or avoid talking to your ex ahead of trial, do it.
4. “I’m innocent.” – If you go down to the prison, you’ll be amazed to hear from inmates how many of them are innocent. Now, we’re not saying that we don’t want to defend an innocent person, because typically that is a much easier case, but what we’re saying by including this on the list of things we hate hearing is that it’s not our job to determine your innocence or guilt. We work in facts, and we let the facts of the case establish a narrative. Regardless of whether you’re innocent or guilty, we’ll do everything we can to defend you in court. If we do our job well, your innocence will shine through. And if you’re guilty, our hard work can maybe earn you a reduced sentence or a favorable plea deal.
For help with your criminal case, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
