If you get arrested and you need to find a lawyer, here are some things that I've "learned" throughout this. Feel free to comment with your own experiences, I am not an expert at all.
- DO NOT choose the first lawyer you talk to, even if he is Johnnie Cochran. If you need one in a hurry, schedule multiple consultations in a day.
- ASK people that you know who have been in similar circumstances who their lawyer was, their rating of him/her, etc.
- If you need a public defender and cannot afford a lawyer, make an attempt to find the "best" or "up and coming." This is tough, but possible to find through word of mouth.
Bad Lawyer
- Claims to care about your case, could give two shits about you except for your money.
- Does not answer your questions.
- Tells you to do things without proper representation, also known as "feeding you to the wolves."
- Will not tell you his track records for your kind of case, leaves you in the dark on even a rough idea of your outcome.
- Is "too busy" to talk to you.
Good Lawyer
- Not only claims to care about your case, but may have been personally affected by similar circumstances and can relate.
- Proves he is doing his job through communication and question answering to the fullest.
- May do things that are "extra" to get to know you, and in turn understand your case better.
- Sets out guidelines in the contract when choosing his/her service.
- Does not let you do/say anything without representation and documentation.
I am extending an invitation to you to write a guest post for "Bear's Blog" (http://carlbussjaeger.blogspot.com) giving your side of events. Specifically, I would appreciate it if you address two points: 1) your apparent position that none of this would have been a problem if only the police had protected your anonymity (I can see how that would have avoided problems for _you_; less so for your victims), and 2) precisely how you plan to make restitution to your victims beyond the reported $100 against the thousands you've already cost _each_ of them. A post at Bear's Blog would allow you to reach people you wouldn't otherwise.
ReplyDeleteIf interested, contact me at carl@bussjaeger.org.