In our line of work, we’ve heard it all and seen it all, but no matter how often we hear them, some sentences still make us furrow our brow, close our eyes, shake our heads and scream “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING” in our heads. In today’s blog, we spotlight five sentences that defense lawyers hope they never hear from current or potential clients when meeting for the first time.
What Lawyers Hope To Never Hear
These are the sentences we hear in our nightmares:
1. “I already talked to the police.” – The police are not your friends. The police help the state build a case against you. That’s why they read you the Miranda Rights, which state that anything you say can be used against you in the court of law. That’s not a possibility, that’s a promise. Anything you tell them will be used or twisted to create a narrative against you in court. Don’t talk to police or give them any information that could serve to hurt your case. Even saying something as simple as “I only had two beers” will be used in court as an admission of consuming alcohol, so know that little statements can be used to build a broader case against you. Shut up and lawyer up instead of talking to the police.
2. “I deleted the text messages.” – Deleting text messages isn’t going to get rid of the incriminating evidence like you hoped it would. There are message records and data files that are stored on the phone provider’s side that police can access if needed. A court order will bring these “deleted” messages to light, so don’t assume the smoking gun that sinks your case is gone forever just because you deleted some messages on your phone. Your attorney knows you’re in for an uphill battle if you think you covered your tracks by deleting messages on your phone.
3. “My court date is today.” – Lawyers need time to review evidence and prepare a well thought out defense, and we can’t just drop everything and show up for your court appearance in an hour if we’re just learning about your case now. One of the first things you’ll want to do after being arrested is connect with an attorney who can start reviewing your case and building a strong defense for your eventual court date.
4. “I thought I could explain” – You’re not going to be able to talk your way out of something like an assault or DUI, so don’t try to over explain your side to police. Again, they are only looking for evidence to build their case, so when you explain your side, you’re only handing over more evidence. Keep your mouth shut, explain your side to an attorney and let them lean on their knowledge of the law to put forth an official statement or defense. Don’t dig yourself a bigger hole to climb out of by trying to explain things away.
5. “I forgot to mention…” – Finally, we ask for the full story when talking to clients, and then we use evidence and their statements to build a case. When a client starts a sentence with “I forgot to mention…” it could mean that they are going to tell us something that will completely topple the house of cards that is their legal defense. We want the full and honest truth the first time so that there are no surprises down the road.
No matter what you tell us, we’ll do everything in our power to build a strong defense that puts you in the best position to earn a favorable outcome. Let the team at Appelman Law Firm go to work for you. For more information, or to talk to an attorney about a criminal charge you’re dealing with, give our team a call today at (952) 224-2277.
