During your initial conversation with your defense lawyer, you may be apprehensive to tell them the whole truth about your criminal incident. We understand why you may be hesitant to tell things to your lawyer that could incriminate you, but could this information actually be used against you? Could your lawyer give this information over to the police or the prosecution and turn you in? We answer this question and more in today’s blog.
Can My Lawyer Turn Me In?
Simply put, it is illegal for a lawyer to share any information that you tell them with a third party. While they may share information with a partner at a law firm in order to clue them in and get some help when developing a case, your lawyer cannot share any privileged information with anyone outside of their practice. Doing so would be considered a major breach of what’s known as attorney-client privilege.
Attorney-client privilege allows you to speak in depth with your lawyer without fear of of self-incrimination. You are granted protection against self-incrimination by the Constitution of the United States of America, which allows you to avoid saying something to a police officer or in court in the event that this information could implicate you in the crime. You don’t have to worry about self incrimination because your lawyer is not allowed to share any of this information with anyone else.
In fact, it’s actually in your best interest to be totally and completely honest with your lawyer, and that includes telling them about your actions during the incident in question. Even if you did assault the neighbor or you were going 85 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone, your lawyer will want to know this information because it will allow them to build the best defense for your case.
Think of it this way. Let’s say you tell your lawyer that you were never at a specific location on the night in question. They build a defense that centers around the idea that you could not have committed the crime because you were never present at its location. However, during court the prosecution brings eyewitnesses or video evidence that places you at the scene of the crime. Your defense looks much less credible now that the crux of your argument has been proven to be inaccurate.
Instead, if you had told your lawyer that you were at the scene of the crime, their defense would look radically different. Perhaps they attack the credibility of others or suggest that those same individuals also have motive to commit the crime or throw you under the bus. Even if what you tell your lawyer helps to showcase your guilt, it will help your lawyer come up with the best defense or the best strategy for negotiating a fair plea deal. Defense lawyers hate surprises in court, and if you lie to them only for the truth to be revealed in court, it’s not going to go well for your case.
So please, tell us anything and everything about your case, even if you think it won’t cast you in the best light. We’re not here to judge. We want to achieve the best resolution for your case, and we can only do that if we can see all angles ahead of time. Please don’t feel like you can’t be honest with your lawyer, because it’s the best thing you can do for your case.
For more information, or to establish this attorney-client privilege with a trusted attorney, pick up the phone and call Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
