Useful Information Regarding Fort Worth Criminal Defense Lawyers

By Eric Myers


Laws have been instituted in every society so as to control the conduct and activities of people in that society. The court system is normally used to enforce these laws. When an individual breaks the law, normally they are apprehended and charged in court. Breaking the law can be categorized as a criminal act or a misdemeanor. The two terms are interpreted differently in different administrative areas. This is what Fort Worth criminal defense lawyers are all about.

A misdemeanor is not a big criminal offence and the offender can be punished by imprisonment of less than a year as according to the federal law. On the contrary, a criminal offence is a major offence and one can be punished by being imprisoned for more than one year. It is best to acquire a lawyer when one has been charged with a felony or a misdemeanor.

Immediately one is arrested by the police, they should demand to speak to their lawyer. One is not under any obligation under the law to speak to the police without their criminal defense lawyer being present. As such, one is totally within their right to refuse to talk to law enforcement officers if they do not have their lawyer present. Most criminal lawyers usually advise their clients against speaking to the police in such cases.

The reason why one should not speak to the police when they are arrested without their lawyer being present is to avoid self-incrimination. Since civilians do not have knowledge of the law like lawyers do, one is likely to reveal self-incriminating information to the police without knowing it. The same information can then be used against the individual later on during court proceedings.

This is the reason why police officers have to inform the person they have arrested to remain silent. Normally, the police inform the suspect that they have the right to remain silent and that anything they say can and will be used against them in the court of law. It is therefore wise to only speak with an attorney present.

A criminal lawyer should have at heart the best interests of their client. A lawyer should resign whenever a conflict of interest arises which may affect their capability to defend their client to the best of their ability. Lawyers who have a conflict of interest should recuse themselves from the case and stay away. They should also stay away from divulging any privileged information that they may have about the client because it is protected under attorney-client laws.

Under normal circumstances, any communication between a client and their lawyer is protected by the law under attorney-client privilege. That means that any information that the client provides to their attorney during court proceedings cannot be used against the client in court. Such evidence is thus inadmissible in court. In fact, revealing such information is against the law on the part of the attorney. The attorney can be sued by the client for the same.

Once a client hires a defense attorney, the attorney manages all responsibilities related to legal representation of the client. This means that they are responsible for handling all communications, planning, negotiations, decision making and evaluation on the behalf of the client. However, the client must be aware and consent to all these activities beforehand.




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