If you’re charged with a crime, it can be a sinking feeling. There can be a flood of feelings, such as what legal consequences you may be facing or even where you should turn.
It’s during these times that finding an attorney with specialized experience can be well worth the cost you’ll end up paying.
When it comes to hiring a criminal defense attorney, most people wait until they find themselves in legal troubles.
Unfortunately, what most people don’t realize is that it’s a good idea to contact a criminal defense attorney as early as possible.
Former Wyoming prosecutor turned criminal defense attorney Christina L. Williams, Attorney at Law outlines three situations in which it would be highly advisable to retain the counsel of an experienced criminal defense attorney:
It’s important to remember that police officers are often well-trained in applying pressure to obtain answers while staying within the confines of the law.
It’s no secret that what you say can be used against you in court. However, did you know that police offers are only required to remind you of your right to remain silent while you’re in their custody?
That means that, if an officer is merely talking to you, they do not need to remind you of your right to remain silent.
When it comes to retaining legal counsel, naturally one of the next questions is how much it will cost.
In the following article by Ken LaMance originally posted on Legal Match, he explains in detail what you can anticipate on spending when it comes to hiring a criminal defense attorney.
“…the cost for hiring an attorney who advertises a flat fee charge for their representation of you, will inevitably vary depending on your personal circumstances. For instance, if a lawyer charges a flat fee, and the charge is a misdemeanor, then you can expect to pay anywhere between $1,000 to $3,000.
However, if there is a possibility of trial, then you can expect that price to increase to around $3,000 to $5,000. If the charge is a felony, and the lawyer believes they may be able to receive a favorable settlement, then the flat fee arrangement may range anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000. However, if a felony trial seems inevitable, then a flat fee ranging between $5,000 to $8,000 is not uncommon.”
It’s important to note that the costs of legal representation can greatly vary depending on your specific case and what you’re being charged with.
This brings us to the final point of this article: how much should you disclose to a criminal defense attorney.
Owning up to your misdeeds can be difficult. However, being upfront and honest with your criminal defense attorney can have benefits.
Most attorneys agree that knowing the full details of the situation is the best way to defend a client. Even when you have been caught outright committing a crime, if your lawyer knows the truth, he can advise you on your best chances for acquittal or at least a reduced sentence. Otherwise, you may find you have wasted your money by hiring a lawyer because he is unable to defend you effectively based on lack of information.
The same principle applies even in relation to a civil case, for example, a claim against insurance. In one case study, the defendant had claimed several times for the same injuries in a vehicle collision, which he failed to tell his lawyer who found out only after incurring extensive costs for discovery. By that point, the attorney was not very interested in helping the client, partly because of the potential damage to his reputation and partly because the case had become unprofitable for him.
If you’re charged with any sort of misdemeanor or felony, it’s likely in your best interest to seek legal representation as soon as possible. While there is a variety of way to help select the best criminal defense attorney to fit your needs, remember that time is of the essence.
Waiting to contact an attorney is perhaps one of the most careless and reckless things you could do when being charged.
For further reading, check out the additional resources below.
Social media has become an integrated part of our lives.
As electronic attacks become more common and many people don’t fully
understand how to secure their personally identifiable information
(PII). To complicate matters, hackers are becoming more sophisticated.
It’s for this reason that people should be more aware of what kinds of information they put online.
Social media is one of the most common places people feel the need to
share what’s going on in their lives without regard to what kinds of
sensitive information they may be broadcasting to the world.
If you haven’t seen the “Mayhem” commercial from Allstate Insurance, it’s kind of like this…
Comical as it is, this commercial underscores an important issue
with how people are using technology and the dangers it presents for
unsuspecting victims of cybercrime.
In the article below from Findlaw, William Vogeler urges people to
understand that the problem of sharing personal information is a real
issue. Volger offers some advice to help keep your information as safe
as possible as our lives become more integrated with technology:
If we learned anything from
the Terminator movies, it’s that technology can be really scary. Not
only did Arnold Schwarzenegger come back, he became governor. In the
real world, it’s even scarier. The Internet of Things means that
everything with an electronic pulse can be hacked: your security system,
your thermostat, your refrigerator! Not that anybody really wants to
know what’s in your refrigerator, but the experts are right
cyber-insecurity. Here’s what the smart ones at Harvard Business Review
say to do about the inevitable cyber-invasion:
These are all great points and seem simple enough to follow, but are they enough to keep your information safe?
Massive data breaches seem to happen more frequently and it seems
consumers are taking the fallout as ones their personal information has
become compromised.
For example, Apple announced that they were pulling Facebook’s enterprise license for questionable use of consumer data.
The speech is worth revisiting
in light of an emerging fight between Apple and Facebook. Earlier this
week, TechCrunch reported that Facebook had been paying people,
including teens 13 to 17 years old, to install a “research” app that
extracted huge volumes of personal data from their iPhones—direct
messages, photos, emails, and more. Facebook uses this information
partly to improve its data profiles for advertisement, but also as a
business-intelligence tool to help paint a picture of competitor
behavior.
After the story broke, Facebook said it would shut
down the iOS version of the program. That wasn’t enough for Apple,
which canceled Facebook’s ability to distribute custom iPhone apps for
internal use by Facebook employees. That might look like a severe
punishment that will send a strong message to Facebook, and to other
companies. But it’s mostly a slap on the wrist. It gives Apple moral
cover while doing little to change the data economy the company claims
to oppose.
Though this was done publicly, it seems that was a bit more of a
show than taking actual action against Facebook for privacy. It seems
Apple’s actions might just be temporary “scolding.” It may be
cynical to think things could very easily go back to the way they
previously were with personal privacy in the crosshairs of big data.
Beyond people’s information being leaked, there’s an even bigger issue when it comes to criminal defense.
What happens when we start relying on tech to the point we view it as infallible. What happens to the justice system?
William Vogeler of FindLaw makes an interesting assertion,
suggestions that technology could even be compromised, resulting in
wrongful convictions. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
TechDirt points out the fly in the ointment of machine-learning. The algorithms use statistics to find patterns in data.
“So
if you feed it historical crime data, it will pick out the patterns
associated with crime,” TechDirt says. “But those patterns are
statistical correlations — nowhere near the same as causations.”
It’s the old adage: garbage in, garbage out. But that should be applied to machines, not people.
We still need cops and judges to do their jobs, even with human errors.
Relying on machine learning is truly a double-edged sword. On one
hand, it could help law enforcement catch criminals more effectively.
However, on the other hand, do we really want to live in a police-state?
How many personal freedoms are we willing to give up in order to rest easy thinking we’re safe and secure?
We often hear about “white collar” crimes, but what exactly does that mean?
For most people, white collar crimes are typically thought of as
relating to the financial sector or higher-class jobs. What may be
shocking to learn is that these types of crimes could also be committed
by someone in a more limited position, such mid-level management, office
staff, clerical role, or even as an intern.
In fact, most white collar crimes often go unnoticed. For example,
using a company credit card to pay for non-business related expenses,
such as a meal or gas, could be considered a white-collar crime.
In almost every instance, a white-collar crime results in some type of monetary or financial gain.
While this list touches on the most common forms of white collar crime, it’s certainly not all-inclusive.
White-Collar Crimes: Facts and Statistical Data
In an article titled, “35 Surprising White Collar Crimes Statistics”, Brandon Gaille points out some shocking statistics about white-collar crime:
Median business losses caused by executives are 16 times those of their employees.
The most costly abuses tend to occur not in large organizations, but in companies with less than 100 employees.
The average company loses more than $9 per day per employee to fraud and abuse.
The
average company in the United States loses about 6% of its total annual
revenue to white collar crime that is committed by its own employees.
Losses caused by managers are 4x the amount, on average, of those caused by employees.
Men
commit nearly 75% of the offenses and cost the company about 4x the
amount in white-collar crime costs than women who commit a crime.
The typical perpetrator is a college-educated white male who is working in some form of real estate.
A higher proportion of white-collar offenders are female compared to other offender types.
While this is just a small excerpt of his findings, it’s well worth your time to read the full article here.
What to do if you’re charged with a white-collar crime
What to do if you’re charged with a white collar crime
For most people, being charged with a white collar crime can be
gut-wrenching. This is especially the case in more minor forms of theft.
If charged, the first thing nearly any attorney will advise is to
seek counsel. This is absolutely imperative, as an experienced attorney
can help you better understand your rights.
HG.org, a legal resource guide some very critical information:
A defense attorney will not directly impede the investigative
efforts of law enforcement. However, individuals who are represented by
counsel are far less likely to unknowingly waive constitutional legal
protections, or relent to the demands of investigators when there is no
need to do so. And while plea bargaining typically occurs following an
arrest, a skilled criminal defense lawyer will act proactively, engaging
the prosecuting attorneys early in the process. Read the full resource
here –https://www.hg.org/white-collar-crime.html
Simply stated, a criminal defense attorney may be able to help you
better understand what information you should (and more importantly,
should not) divulge.
Conclusion
By clearly understanding the definition of white collar crime is one
of the first steps in identifying the problem. Being aware of the issue
can help prevent and deter behaviors that could result in more serious
charges.
Video chat has undeniably changed the way we do business.
Businesses
employ top-talent in a global arena, doctors can diagnose and prescribe
medication from your smartphone, and now your attorney can work from
home…
It’s crazy to think that this has become the new normal.
FindLaw columnist William Vogeler explores why some law firms are pioneering the idea of working remotely.
Lawyers, Is Remote Work More Than a Trend?
The
American Lawyer says virtual firms with up to 180 partners are breaking
the mold. BigLaw attorneys are going virtual because they like the idea
of practicing from home.
“Here, I can really work on
matters pretty much at any level I choose to without it becoming cost
prohibitive,” said Jamal Edwards, who used to work at the 300-lawyer
firm of Honigman Miller in Detroit.
These days, an attorney
can work from a beach with a smart device and a good internet
connection. You may have to show up for mandatory appearances, however,
so leave the flip-flops at home. Read more…
According to Carol Kinsey Goman, a contributing author at Forbes,
there are several reasons why businesses should thoughtfully consider
the impact of virtual vs. face-to-face meetings. In her interview
with Michael Massari, Caesars Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of
National Meetings and Events, they assert there’s inherent value in
personal interaction:
No matter what industry you
work in, we are all in the people business. Regardless of how tech-savvy
you may be, face-to-face meetings are still the most effective way to
capture the attention of participants, engage them in the conversation,
and drive productive collaboration. If we don’t continue to nurture
strong and positive personal relationships with our clients and
coworkers, we won’t build trust, understanding, or a sense of a shared
mission – all of which are critical elements to successful partnerships
and business success.
For many attorneys, it’s that sense of partnership that fosters trust, something critical for effective communication within a case.
While
video chats are considerably more effective than a phone call, there’s
still a lack of the personal interaction that is can help foster
teamwork among team members.
That said, personal interaction can still be done in remote groups, it’s just a little more challenging.
Tips to effectively run a virtual meeting
Other Considerations For Attorneys Working Remotely
Aside from the obvious challenges of personal communication, what are the other risks of working remotely?
Well, for businesses like attorneys or doctors, confidential
information should be considered. Inherently, smartphones can be used to
capture sensitive data. Obviously, this has raised concerns about the
use of these types of devices within the business workplace.
Should your business consider adopting an at-work cell phone policy?
Jeff Griffin of the JP Griffin Group seems to think so. He believes
that adopting a policy on how cell phones should be used at work before
issues arise is essential for any business culture to thrive:
How Cell Phone Use at Work is Shaping Company Policies
Many employers don’t create a
policy regarding cell phone use at work until they realize they have a
problem, which can be weeks, months, or even years into a downward
spiral of problems. Like it or not, it’s necessary to have a cell phone
use policy at this point. It doesn’t have to be incredibly long or
detailed, but it should incorporate the unique nature of your business
(such as security or safety concerns)…
There’s nothing wrong
with laying out a policy clearly telling your employees how you’d like
them to use their cell phones during work hours. Perhaps limiting phone
calls to emergency-only is a reasonable solution. You could ask
employees to keep their phones in desk drawers on vibrate. If you’re in a
setting that involves heavy interaction with the public (like retail or
service), you could ask employees to keep their phones in their
lockers.
Making sure that employees understand the expectations and risks of
using a mobile device at work. This is especially true for any attorneys
working remotely.
Whenever handling personally identifiable information (PII), considering security is of utmost importance.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a doctor, attorney, or business professional, the
flexibility of working remotely certainly has a certain appeal. When
doing so, it’s important to keep communication, privacy, and security at
the forefront of the conversation.
