3 Things You Should Have With You During Your Consultation With A Criminal Defense Attorney

Have you been accused of committing a crime you know you had nothing to do with? If so, you will need help from a criminal defense attorney. Without the a legal professional's assistance, you could end up going to jail for a crime you did not even commit due to circumstantial evidence that makes you look bad. There are other people in the United States who have been convicted of crimes they had nothing to do with, causing them to face the consequences of another person's actions.

The first step to fighting these accusations and clearing your name is consulting with the attorney to discuss any charges made against you. If you have never been in this predicament before, you might not know what to bring with you or what to expect when going for the consultation.

Bring Any of the Evidence You Have

In some cases, defendants have evidence they can bring along with them. For example, you may have proof you were somewhere else when the crime was originally committed. Whether you were on the clock at work or taking photos with your best friend and posting them to Instagram at that exact moment, it is important to offer as much evidence as you can.

Aside from bringing in some evidence of your own, the attorney may need to hire a private investigator to look into things for you. Surveillance footage, cell phone records and internet searches can all be used as a way of proving you had nothing to do with the crime.

Compile a List of the Different Witnesses

Were there any witnesses in the area when the alleged crime took place? For example, if you were accused of assaulting someone who initially assaulted you, another person in the area may have watched the altercation while it was taking place. They may decide to vouch for you and explain that you were defending yourself. If you have the names of any witnesses, you need to create your list and hand it over to the attorney.

In other cases, you may not have a list of witnesses because you are accused of committing a crime in a specific area when you were nowhere near that place at that time. If you were at work or hanging out with a group of people, your co-workers, friends and even family members can provide an alibi for you. These are the people your criminal defense attorney will want to bring out in the courtroom to testify for you if necessary.

Explain the Full Situation as Best as You Can

The attorney needs to know what is going on, whether you did something wrong or not. Even if you did not commit a crime, you may have been in the wrong place when something bad happened, thus causing you to get accused for it. If a friend did something bad to another person and you were hanging out on their front porch a few minutes later, the police may have arrested you because they automatically thought you had some type of involvement with the crime as well.

The attorney will try hard to win the case for you, but it is important for you to supply him or her with the right information ahead of time. The two of you must work together as a team to attempt to get you out of this legal trouble you are going through. If you bring any of the evidence you have, create your list of witnesses and open up more to the attorney by explaining what happened on the day in question, you may have a better chance of getting out of trouble, winning the case or receiving a much lighter sentence.

For more information, talk with a criminal defense lawyer, such as those at Kassel & Kassel A Group of Independent Law Offices, directly.