Understanding When to Hire a Criminal Lawyer
When do you need a lawyer in your criminal case? Hi, my name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa criminal attorney with Wirth Law Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ve been practicing criminal law for almost eight years now, and I want to help you make law easy by just talking about when you should hire an attorney.
So obviously this is going to sound like a little bit of a self-serving answer, but as soon as possible is the answer that I give every person who’s in these situations, with just a couple of exceptions. I mean, if you’re facing a very light misdemeanor like a public intox or something like that, maybe you probably can get that handled on your own and just plead it out and pay a fine. But 99 times out of 100, if you’re facing criminal charges, you need an attorney.
Why Legal Representation is Crucial
You need someone familiar with the law. You need someone familiar with the judge. You need someone familiar with the prosecutor. And you need someone who’s done this before so they can walk you through this process, because there are a lot of things that you don’t know and won’t know without someone explaining it to you.
For example, and this came up recently, a client of mine came in because a few years back, he’d entered a plea on the case that he didn’t fully understand. As a result of that, now he’s losing licenses, his job is on the line, and there are things that he’s facing that have very real stakes. He is possibly going to lose because he entered a plea that had ramifications he did not foresee, which could have been explained to him if he had an attorney helping him out.
The Risks of Going It Alone
Now, with how long it has passed since then, it’s looking like we may not be able to get that plea withdrawn because of the fact that at the time he was trying to do it alone, and he didn’t seek the advice of counsel until almost two years later. So, get an attorney in quickly and make sure that you discuss every aspect of your case with them. Make sure that you understand everything about your case. And if you have questions, ask them.
I tell people all the time, you don’t necessarily need to hire an attorney, but trying to handle your case alone is like trying to perform surgery on yourself. You can do it and you might even survive it, but it’s going to be a lot more painful and a lot messier than if you have a professional handle it for you.
Schedule Your Strategy Session Today
If you have questions about this or if you’re looking for a criminal attorney, absolutely give me a call. I’d love to sit down with you, go over the facts of your case, and start building a defense with you. My name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa misdemeanor attorney with Wirth Law Office, and I want to help you make law easy. Contact me at 918-879-1681 to schedule your low-cost initial strategy session today. Thank you.
