It happens way all the time. A concerned parent will email me the night before their son or daughter is to appear in court. It's usually late at night and they want to know what to expect in court, and they are afraid of something bad happening in court.
First, it's important to contact a lawyer well in advance of going to court. An attorney is most likely not going to be able to be much help the night before an arraignment or court date - an attorney needs to file an appearance with the court, and a retainer agreement will need to be hashed out. Most successful attorneys are quite busy with many cases on their schedule - it's rare to find an attorney with a completely open schedule on such short notice - if that's the case, think twice about why that lawyer has nothing to do the entire day.
You should have some time to meet with the lawyer and feel comfortable with their approach. This is not booking an airline ticket the night before. While you have some expectation of what United Airlines will provide you in exchange for your hard earned money, the same cannot be said about an attorney. You may need to speak to multiple lawyers before selecting one. Personally, I will not take a case the night before, because I am very selective in who I represent, and I require my clients to take a proactive approach to their cases, which cannot be done the night before a case. I am also quite busy on a day to day basis, and I need advance notice to make myself available for court.
If a concerned parent does contact me the night before court, I usually advise them to ask the court for an adjournment and time to hire an attorney. From there, I will setup a meeting or phone call with the parent and potential client to discuss the possibility or working together. Do not let the court bully you into resolving a case without an attorney. The prosecutor and judge may try to sell you on a particular course of action, but that may not be in your best interest. I have countless people contact me days, weeks, months or years later needing help with their case that was poorly resolved, and they are now feeling the impact of their foolish decision not to speak to an attorney before making a decision about their case.
Most potential clients are scared of the prosecutor and judge, and their guilt or feeling of wanting to take the blame for a crime, and get it over with ASAP leads to a poor choice of a quick result. DO NOT DO THIS! Having a criminal record for the rest of your life is not worth a quick resolution. Be brave and tell the judge you're not ready to do anything without hiring a lawyer - the judge will grant your request - they MUST allow you to be represented by an attorney of your choice - this is not optional.
First, it's important to contact a lawyer well in advance of going to court. An attorney is most likely not going to be able to be much help the night before an arraignment or court date - an attorney needs to file an appearance with the court, and a retainer agreement will need to be hashed out. Most successful attorneys are quite busy with many cases on their schedule - it's rare to find an attorney with a completely open schedule on such short notice - if that's the case, think twice about why that lawyer has nothing to do the entire day.
You should have some time to meet with the lawyer and feel comfortable with their approach. This is not booking an airline ticket the night before. While you have some expectation of what United Airlines will provide you in exchange for your hard earned money, the same cannot be said about an attorney. You may need to speak to multiple lawyers before selecting one. Personally, I will not take a case the night before, because I am very selective in who I represent, and I require my clients to take a proactive approach to their cases, which cannot be done the night before a case. I am also quite busy on a day to day basis, and I need advance notice to make myself available for court.
If a concerned parent does contact me the night before court, I usually advise them to ask the court for an adjournment and time to hire an attorney. From there, I will setup a meeting or phone call with the parent and potential client to discuss the possibility or working together. Do not let the court bully you into resolving a case without an attorney. The prosecutor and judge may try to sell you on a particular course of action, but that may not be in your best interest. I have countless people contact me days, weeks, months or years later needing help with their case that was poorly resolved, and they are now feeling the impact of their foolish decision not to speak to an attorney before making a decision about their case.
Most potential clients are scared of the prosecutor and judge, and their guilt or feeling of wanting to take the blame for a crime, and get it over with ASAP leads to a poor choice of a quick result. DO NOT DO THIS! Having a criminal record for the rest of your life is not worth a quick resolution. Be brave and tell the judge you're not ready to do anything without hiring a lawyer - the judge will grant your request - they MUST allow you to be represented by an attorney of your choice - this is not optional.
