If you are facing a criminal charge, you need an experienced Williamson County criminal attorney and a solid defense strategy on your side. Fortunately, these tend to go hand in hand. Your dedicated criminal defense lawyer will endeavor to build your strongest case in defense of your legal rights and in support of your case’s best possible resolution. Knowing how to help your criminal attorney help you is the surest way to help guide your case in the right direction.
Tell the Truth
The evidence in your case is whatever it is, and the only way your attorney can use it to your advantage is if he or she knows the truth – as only you can tell it. Now is not the time to hem and haw or mince your words about your involvement in whatever incident lead to you being charged with a crime. Your criminal defense attorney is committed to building your most solid case, and the information you provide amounts to the building blocks for your legal defense. Important points to remember toward this end include:
Everything you tell your attorney is privileged, so you need not worry about incriminating yourself or about the information coming back to haunt you in some unforeseen way.
Your attorney has heard it all, and he or she is not there to judge you – nor is he or she interested in judging you. Your attorney is there to protect your rights and to advocate for your case’s best possible resolution, pure and simple.
It is your attorney’s job to determine if there is enough evidence to convict you or not – and to build your strongest defense from this starting point.
It is your attorney’s task to defend you, and it is the jury’s task to find you guilty or not guilty. You should not conflate the two.
Ultimately, your attorney is there to defend your legal rights, ensure that you get a fair trial, and be your advocate overall.
In other words, unless your attorney specifically asks you not to tell him or her everything you know about the charges you face – including the good, the bad, and the ugly – it is in your best interest to do so.
Practice Makes Perfect
If you are heading to court, there is a lot riding on how you present yourself. Your attorney will talk to you about all of the following, and you should take all of his or her advice to heart:
Wearing clothes that reflect your respect for the court (clean, conservative pieces that are in good shape, that fit you well, that are comfortable, and that do not call attention to themselves)
Answering all questions presented to you as clearly and succinctly as possible (and having your answers prepared ahead of time to the best of your ability)
Following your attorney’s lead in the courtroom (this is no time to go rogue)
Being on time, being polite, and deferring to the judge’s authority in the courtroom
Facing a criminal charge in a courtroom can be unnerving for even the most intrepid among us, which is why your attorney may want to have a few practice runs with you – to help you iron out any kinks that may be lurking just below the surface. For example, your attorney has a very good idea about the kinds of questions you will face, and as such, he or she will want you to go over your responses (writing them down can help). The facts do not change, but the way you present them can and having your responses in the bag before you face questions in court can go a long way toward building your confidence and ensuring that there are no unhappy surprises when you are on the stand. It's often a good idea to set up a mock interview in which you are able to answer all potential questions – put to you in a variety of different ways – with the exact amount of confidence and poise that your attorney recommends.
Understand the Charge
An important part of defending yourself against a charge is understanding the charge in the first place. Specific charges – and their outcomes – often hinge on seeming minutiae. The better you understand the charge you face, the better equipped you’ll be to provide your attorney with the information he or she needs to build your strongest defense. A critical component of your attorney’s job is making sure that you understand the charge you face – and all of the elements therein.
Ethical Boundaries
Your criminal attorney will very likely want to know everything you can tell him or her about the incident or incidents that led to the charge you face. In turn, your attorney is bound by ethics to represent you as zealously as possible – regardless of whether or not he or she thinks you are guilty as charged. Your criminal attorney is your advocate and must make this advocacy his or her top priority. What your attorney cannot do, however, is present any evidence or arguments before the court that he or she knows to be untrue. This, however, need not represent an ethical dilemma if you are, in fact, guilty. Your attorney's approach will simply shift to highlighting the weaknesses in the prosecution's case and pinpointing relevant legal issues, such as demonstrating that specific evidence against you was obtained during an illegal search (for example).
It’s Time to Consult with an Experienced Williamson County Criminal Attorney
Brett Pritchard at The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard in Williamson County, Texas, is a skilled criminal attorney who never waives in his commitment to his clients’ rights and their best possible case resolutions. Our dedicated legal team has impressive reserves of experience effectively and efficiently guiding complicated cases like yours toward beneficial resolutions. For more information about how we can also help you, please do not wait to contact or call us at 254-501-4040 today.
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