Four Things You Need To Share With Your Criminal Defense Attorney
If you have been charged with a crime, one of the first things you need to do is hire a competent criminal defense attorney. It will be your attorney's job to defend you and try to get your charges reduced or even dismissed by the court. However, in order to do their job well, your lawyer will need some input from you. Here are four things you need to share with your criminal defense attorney in order to help them do their job better.
1. If you committed the crime
There are times when people are wrongfully accused of crimes or when what you actually did does not match the crime you are being charged with. You may be tempted to lie to your lawyer and tell them you did not commit the crime or to leave out some details about what you did do. After all, it's natural to be embarrassed that you did something wrong. However, your lawyer won't be able to defend you really well if they don't know the truth. So tell them the truth about whether you committed the crime and how you did it.
2. Your history with the victim
There are many times when the judge or jury does not realize there was a previous relationship between the criminal and their victim until the trial goes to court. You don't want to put your lawyer in a lurch if this information comes out. So, disclose the full nature of your history with the victim of your crime. Even if you only shared one class with them back in 1998, this is something your lawyer needs to know.
3. If anyone saw the crime
If there were witnesses to the crime, the victim may be reaching out to them to testify. It's important that your lawyer knows this is a possibility so they can prepare statements to make in response. Even if you do not know who the people were and cannot remember anything about them, tell your lawyer if you think anyone saw you commit the crime.
4. Your criminal history
How willing the judge or court is to let you off easy will depend on your criminal history. So be honest with your lawyer about any crimes you've been charged with in the past. Tell them the outcome of those charges, and give them as many details about the cases as you can remember.
For more information, contact local professionals like those found at Maruca Law.