Why Should You Be Honest with Your Criminal Defense Attorney?

When working with a criminal defense attorney it's very important to be completely honest with them. Even if you are guilty of the crime, it's best to tell your criminal attorney everything about it.

This is because your attorney is bound by client confidentiality laws. They can't tell anyone what you've told them in confidence. And if the attorney understands everything about your case, they can come up with a better defense for you.

Were There Extenuating Circumstances?

Your attorney understands the law better than you. So, you might think that you are guilty of a crime, but your attorney might know more about extenuating circumstances.

• Your attorney will be able to pinpoint whether your have a specific defense, e.g. self-defense, entrapment, alibi, mistake of fact, necessity, insanity, etc.
• They may understand that you only did what you did because someone was threatening you or your family.
• They may also realize that you were not in your right mind because of depression or addiction issues.

Once your attorney knows all these things, they will be able to come up with a good defense for you. You may not think that there was any excuse for your actions, but your attorney is more familiar with criminal law than you and will know of similar cases where the person was not found guilty of the crime.

Sharing Everything, Relevant or Irrelevant

For your attorney to understand what the best defense for you would be, they have to understand exactly what happened. And this means that you must share everything that was going on with you at that time. Don't hold back anything. And even if something does not seem entirely relevant, feel free to share it anyway.

The more you tell your lawyer about your situation, the greater the likelihood that they will be able to put up a good defense. Contact us for more information on how we can help you with your criminal defense.