4 Signs You Should Hire A Criminal Law Attorney

The prospect of having to hire a criminal law attorney can be challenging to confront. However, it's important if you're facing a criminal investigation or charges to retain attorney services as soon as possible. Anyone seeing these four signs should ask for counsel right away.

Police Questioning

Cops will often frame their questioning as innocent or at least undirected. Do not assume this is true. Even if it is true, don't assume it will stay this way.

There are at least two possible negative scenarios if the cops want to ask you questions. First, they may suspect you committed a crime. Second, they may think you're a witness who's close enough to a crime that they could charge you with obstruction of justice if you don't cooperate to their liking. In either scenario, call a criminal law attorney immediately.

Search

If the cops conduct a search of your person, home, or vehicle, that's a bad sign. Ideally, you'll have already established a relationship with a criminal attorney so you can call them when a search happens. If not, the big thing is to make sure you get a copy of any search warrant the police might have. The cops might not have a warrant, but you should still ask the officers to explain what justifies the invasiveness of a search.

You don't have to facilitate a police search, but don't get in the way of the cops. If you see them do anything suspicious, make a mental note and then write down what it was after the cops have left.

Police Looking Around

The cops may not have the full justification for a search. However, they might drive past your house to see if they can spot something. If you see a cop tailing you while you're out, for example, make a note of when and where it was. Contact a criminal law attorney and tell them what you say. A lawyer can tell you what they think of the situation.

Others with Criminal Exposure

If you know other people with criminal exposure, some of that pain might be coming your way. Perhaps the police arrested one of your friends. Do not assume that person won't look for ways to reduce their exposure by pointing the finger at others. Likewise, don't assume your best friends won't accuse you of something even if you're innocent. If there's any way their criminal exposure could land on you, lawyer up.

For more information, contact a criminal law attorney near you.