If you’ve been charged with a felony, the process ahead of you is a daunting one. You’re likely to be facing hefty fines and a potentially lengthy prison sentence if convicted. To give yourself the best chance at avoiding this outcome, your goal should be to build the best legal defense possible. The first and most important step is to retain the services of an attorney that can effectively represent you in court and argue your case.
The fact that most criminal defense attorneys offer a free consultation makes it easier for you to determine which one is the right fit for you and your case. This consultation, though, can be either of two things for you: an incredibly helpful first step that sets your case up for success from the start, or a complete waste of time that you need to be using as effectively as possible. The difference is made by how prepared you are for that first meeting.
That’s why in this blog post, you’ll read three steps from a Tampa felony attorney to adequately prepare for a consultation with a criminal defense lawyer. These steps include making sure you organize and provide your attorney with every piece of evidence relevant to the case, offer your full honest account of the original incident, and ask the right set of questions to make sure the attorney you’re speaking with is a good fit for your needs and circumstances.
Bring every piece of evidence you have to your consultation
If you have any evidence in your possession from the incident that caused you to receive criminal charges, it’s imperative that you bring this evidence with you to your consultation. Helpful evidence may include pictures or video from the scene of the crime, or if you weren’t actually present at the scene, evidence that clearly points to your whereabouts in a different location at the time of the incident, to name just a couple of examples.
Most people expect that the available evidence from the incident will play one of the biggest roles in determining whether you’ll be convicted, but that also means it’s a critical factor in building your case. When an attorney is able to see the evidence in your possession right away, it may make it much easier to start formulating a potential defense from your very first meeting with them.
Prepare your truthful account of the incident
Before consulting an attorney, you should organize and prepare the most comprehensive and truthful account of the incident possible from your perspective. This is helpful for weaving together evidence and other relevant pieces of information you’ve provided to establish a clearer, stronger narrative in your defense.
In addition to everything that actually happened from your perspective, your side of the story should include:
- The names of anyone else involved in the incident
- Information like license plates, badge numbers of the arresting officers, or other potentially relevant details
- Your exact location during the incident
- What you were doing at the time of the incident
It’s especially important for you to be completely honest about your side of the story when speaking with an attorney, even if it may seem to indicate you were responsible, so that the attorney can determine the best course of action in your defense.
A lawyer won’t report what you say or get you into bigger trouble based on what you tell them. If they’re unsure they could win your case, they’ll be able to tell you so and advise you on alternative strategies that may help you at least reduce your potential fines or jail sentence.
List the questions you want to ask your attorney
When you meet with an attorney, you should ask the following:
- What kind of timeline should I expect with my case?
- When can I contact you?
- What’s included with your fees?
- What kind of result should I reasonably expect?
Tampa felony attorney Anthony Candela may be able to answer all of these questions and any others about your criminal case. Get in touch with Candela Law Firm now to schedule your free consultation.
