When Should You Get Legal Advice
The United States justice system and its local municipalities have created thorough equitable system to preserve the rights of its citizens, residents and even visitors. The system is designed to be able to improve and change according to the needs of the changing times and the evolving culture. This mean that there are a lot of regulations, fine details and exceptions involved. There is no way any single person, especially a lay person, would know the entirety of the law to be able to best represent himself or herself.
You may have heard of the expression that if you are representing yourself, you have a fool for a client. You may believe that whatever legal case you are involved in, civil or criminal, is not serious enough to need a lawyer. If you think your common sense and judgment would be enough to protect you against possible civil liability or criminal charges, you can be gravely mistaken.
One of the most important things to understand about lawyer, besides the fact that they have spent countless hours studying and practicing the law, is that they are what you call a disinterested party. This does not mean that they are not interested in you or want what is best for you. It is quite the opposite.
The disinterested party is not emotionally involved in your case. This is a very strong asset you must have. Often times when our emotions get involved, what may seem like common sense fairness can be very subjective, usually at our own expense. Remember, there are at least two sides to every story and whoever can persuade the decision maker, be it judge or jury of your peers, will end winning the case - right or wrong.
Lawyers have dedicated hours to commit themselves to the practice of the law. Practice does not mean that they are rookies. Practice is a simple English term as it describes the professional serving the industry as representatively as possible to meet the ever changing needs of our complex society.
On the other hand, if you are hesitating to talk to a lawyer because you feel certain that you may be in the wrong and are afraid of the legal consequences, this is precisely the time to talk to a lawyer and seek legal advice.
We all have rights. No matter what act, misdeed or crime we have committed we live in an equitable fair justice system and we have the right to a fair representation if we choose to take advantage of it. Lawyers have seen all kinds of cases and contingencies of life and the law. They have intimate knowledge of how the law works when the rubber hits the road. They also have intimate, often amicable connections to other lawyers (who may be representing your opponent). They have intimate connections to court clerks and judges who may be handling your case.
It may not seem to be fair, a little seedy even, to think that lawyers will have a better edge in serving papers to the court and communicating with court officials. Sometimes an error in the paper work may lead to very serious consequences. Serious legal consequences can be monetary and possibly take away your freedom as you know it.
This is just the way it is. It is how it goes in all walks of life. No matter what profession you are in or what career you have, you may have noticed that you always have more knowledge and an advantage in the specific field that you are an expert in.
Lawyers are experts in law. At the very least, they know more than a lay person. Even lawyer, especially lawyers, hire other attorneys for representation.
There are numerous reasons to consult an attorney for legal advice. There are simply no excuses, not even money. If you cannot afford to hire the dream team of lawyers there are many free legal services you can consult. Most private firms offer pro bono cases and at the very least may provide a free or affordable consultation for anyone who is in need of legal advice.
There is nothing to lose by seeking legal advice. Instead, you will likely preserve your peace of mind and your rights.
Why Should I Consult An Attorney?
If you live long enough you are bound to come across a situation that involves legal matters. It can be something as common place as signing a contract, buying or selling a home to something, hopefully rare, and grave as facing criminal charges. Whatever the situation is it is always wise to consult an attorney first.
If you find yourself facing criminal charges, it is in your best interest to consult an attorney right away. Even if you are innocent! Yes, even if you know in your clearest of conscience that you have done nothing wrong, you must protect yourself in the face of criminal accusations.
Truths are subjective. There may be witnesses accusing you who also can swear, from the clearest of their conscience, that they will testify against your criminal misdeeds.
If you believe that you can somehow convince police officers to see your side, you may be dead wrong. Police officers are trained to ask questions that are NOT in your favor. They are trained to get you to provide incriminating evidence. This is not because they are bad or corrupt; it’s their job.
We want and need police officers to be as interrogative as possible to catch the real criminals and get incriminating evidence to put them away. Police officers are usually dealing with people who have committed a crime and are not willingly truthful to them; by nature, they will be interrogative and may be even “twist” your words to be used against you.
If reading the above paragraphs stung you a little, because you feel or know that you have actually committed a crime, you definitely need to consult a lawyer. You are not a bad person for having committed a crime. The law is there to serve justice and also protect your rights, even if you have committed a crime. Many lawyers feel that people who have committed crimes are the ones most in need of legal representation; they cannot give you spiritual salvation, but will know precisely what to do to protect your rights.
If you are a conscientious person and are thinking about turning yourself in for a crime you know you are guilty of, that is very good and commendable. Make sure you consult an attorney first and have your attorney assist you in the process.
Often times after we do something morally wrong or legally unethical our conscience make us take note of that. A real hard long look at ourselves, sometimes, make us our own worst enemy. Sometimes we need protection from ourselves, too. A lawyer may help you to realize that what happen might not be as bad as you feel and there are much more simple solutions than you may realize.
Of course you do not know how simple or complicated the solutions to your problem may be. If you are not a lawyer in practice, then it is not your job to know what kind of legal solutions are available. Even lawyers hire lawyers. Do you know that there is a saying that if you represent yourself you have a fool for a client?
If you are involve in any kind of civil or criminal claims and charges it is best to consult an attorney immediately. This is so that the problems can be dealt with immediately. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
In fact, often times, people find tremendous relief when they have legal representation. When you have a lawyer on your side, he or she can deal with all of your accusers or other parties involved that you may not be emotionally ready or capable of dealing with.
Your lawyer may advise that you keep silent for your own protection. But be completely forthcoming to your attorney so that he or she may have all the facts available to be able to represent you to the best of his or her ability.
If you feel that lawyers may be too costly, you are wrong. There are many free legal aid services from government agencies, non-profit organizations and even for profit, private law firms.
Give yourself the peace of mind of having an attorney represent you and protect your rights. Consult an attorney for legal advice.