I’m frequently asked how soon a person should hire an attorney after they are arrested. I tell them the following true story. A short while ago I got a call shortly after 1:00 AM in the morning. The person of the phone had just been involved in a shooting. The police were on the way.
I was able to arrive at the scene shortly after the police. I was not allowed to speak to my client. But, I was able to start gathering information. The detective in charge let me know the person that my client shot would live and that there was a person at the scene with my client. By 8:00 AM we had our private investigators gathering information from the witnesses and the scene.
As a result of prompt action we were able to gather evidence within 24 hours that would not have been available after a couple of days. This evidence provided proof that our client was defending a victim of an assault and that he was not a criminal but a hero.
With the evidence we had collected, it was easy for the grand jury to no bill the case. As a result, no criminal charges were pursued. He was lucky that he had hired an attorney before the event even happened.
My client stated that the police department at all times treated him in a polite and professional matter. He never spoke with the police and he did not feel pressured to do so.
Conclusion
If you are a potential party at a crime scene, hire an attorney right away. The attorney will be able to help put a plan together which will make a very difficult time in your life a little easier. Witnesses and evidence are easier to collect shorty after the incident. If you wait for days or even weeks, it makes it more difficult, if not impossible to gather the needed evidence.
