Pre-File Representation and Pre-File Investigation
The best thing you can do to help avoid being charged in a criminal investigation is hire an experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorney who can provide pre-file representation. The time to begin defending your reputation, livelihood and freedom is at the beginning of a law enforcement investigation, before any charges are brought.
If you’re the target of a state or federal criminal investigation in Florida, the law enforcement professionals coming after you generally have lots of time, money and power at their disposal. State – or federal – law enforcement agencies are experts at gathering evidence and questioning people who may be involved in or have information about a crime.
The big advantage law enforcement has when they question average citizens is that they conduct investigations and make arrests all the time. That’s what they do. They know, for instance, how to ask a question in a way most likely to get the response they are looking for. Most people aren’t routinely interrogated by law enforcement and don’t know how much trouble a person can get themselves into by talking to police without an experienced defense lawyer to look after their best interests – especially if you are a suspect in a crime, the subject of the investigation.
The feds or the state or local police can take your seemingly innocent statements or remarks and make you look somehow guilty. When your reputation, livelihood and liberty are at stake, it’s important to remember that when you are being questioned by law enforcement, the police are not your friends. Your best friend – when the cops are trying to catch you out – is an experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorney.
Can a lawyer stop charges from being filed?
If you have a good lawyer, he’ll know what the police likely already know about the case and how they are trying to mold the facts to fit a certain story line – a story in which you may take the fall for actions for which you are not necessarily responsible.
Maybe you yourself haven’t been questioned, but you find out that police are talking to your friends, relatives, employers or other people you know, asking questions about you. You could sit around and worry, thinking about what they’ll ask you and what you will say when they come knocking on your door. Or, you could take charge and turn the situation around by hiring a sharp criminal defense attorney who will start his own investigation, questioning the cops about what they are doing and just why they are doing it.
A good criminal defense lawyer knows that police officers and detectives are human and make mistakes like everyone else. The danger for you as a suspect is that you may wind up unfairly paying for those mistakes. A good defense attorney will be fighting to defend your rights and reputation every step of the way. An experienced and aggressive criminal defense lawyer holds law enforcement accountable for their actions. A good defense attorney, for example, understands that eyewitness testimony is often unreliable, and knows how to challenge it.
The fact is that many times the police cannot make a case strong enough to take to a prosecutor without (sometimes unwitting) statements from suspects. Our legal system has
some very strong protections in place for people being investigated and accused of crimes. You can protect your rights with a legal advocate who knows how to make law enforcement play by its own rules.
Protect Your Rights in a Police Investigation
If you are being investigated by police in Central Florida, you’ll want the best Orlando criminal defense attorney you can get. Consider the criminal defense lawyers at the Rivas Law Firm in Winter Park. If you’re under investigation, you’re a suspect, and an experienced and aggressive criminal defense lawyer may be able to keep you from becoming a defendant. Call 407-349-4211 to talk with a professional who can investigate your case before things get out of control.