Contacting a Criminal Lawyer in Montgomery County

It is very important to contact an attorney when you are involved in a criminal case in Montgomery County. Understandably, some people feel confused and nervous about when they can ask to speak to a lawyer. Below, we have some further information about when and how you can contact a criminal attorney in Montgomery County.

You Have the Right to Speak to a Lawyer

If you tell an officer that you want to speak with an attorney, it absolutely does not imply guilt. In fact what it implies is that you are a smart person who understands your rights and that you are well informed of what your rights are. Police officers are very used to hearing from people that they are investigating that they wish to speak to counsel before going any further in their talks with the police. When a police officer hears that, they may not always like it because it makes their investigation a little bit more difficult, but they do accept it and they do understand that any further questioning from them.
If a police officer is found to be threatening someone into continuing to talk to them or not abiding by constitutional principles of ceasing questioning once somebody has invoked their right to counsel, an officer could face serious sanctions not only from his employer but potentially from the state because it would potentially be destroying an otherwise good or reasonable investigation.

When Can I Contact An Attorney During The Criminal Process In Montgomery County?

If you know that you are being criminally investigated for something you should be contacting an attorney even before the first conversation with the police officer takes place. There is never a time that is too early to speak to an attorney and to understand your rights. If somebody is fortunate enough to know in advance of being charged and that they are being investigated for something an attorney can do a lot of things for them.
An attorney can reach out to the detectives or the police in advance of any court date and make known to them that there is an attorney involved. This might spark negotiations or the investigation to be stopped in advance of a person even being charged.
When a person has counsel ahead of time, it will also allow that individual to prepare for other things. For example, when one is charged with a criminal offense, sometimes they will face a bond review hearing almost immediately after they are charged and arrested. An attorney at that bond review hearing can represent to the judge things like your employment, your community ties and that you are not a flight risk. This can be helpful in reducing the bond and getting the individual out of custody quickly.
There is never a time that is too soon to talk to an attorney. It should happen when somebody is charged and again if you know that you are being investigated before you are formally charged.

Why Speak To A Lawyer Before Being Charged?

If you speak to an attorney before you are even charged with a criminal offense, what you are doing is learning from the attorney. You may learn what to expect. So if somebody knows that a warrant might be getting issued for them, they would you know that they could be having a process server that would come by their house or place of employment.
The individual that knows they are being arrested could know about gathering funds for posting a bond, and could make arrangements for child care if they are going to be arrested soon. An attorney could also facilitate things like stopping an investigation before somebody is charged by simply reaching out to the prosecution or to the detective that is investigating the case and potentially explaining your version of the story and clarifying any misconceptions that they might have about your involvement in the criminal activity and potentially cease the investigation. An attorney could also be very helpful in giving you an understanding of what an investigation is about.
An attorney can help you understand a little bit better why you might be charged and helping you gather documents, materials, and conduct other investigations that might help to clear your name or to mitigate some of the damage.