Getting Legal Aid Before You Are Charged

By San Diego Attorney on October 8, 2020

While you may assume you can only contact a lawyer after investigators have charged you with a crime, the reality is that you are always allowed to reach out to a lawyer no matter the status of your case. The law is extremely intricate, and most people are not aware they have committed a crime until they are arrested. However, if you do suspect that you are being investigated for a crime, then you should reach out to jD LAW immediately to ensure you have proper legal guidance throughout a pre-file investigation.

What Is a Pre-File Investigation?

Before the police arrest a suspect for a crime, they will first conduct an investigation. This may involve speaking to witnesses, reviewing crime scene evidence, contacting informants, and canvassing a neighborhood. The goal of these investigations is to determine who is the suspect in a criminal case and to build evidence in order to convict said suspect. This all occurs before they charge a suspect in a crime, hence the term “pre-file investigation.” Once the police believe they have enough evidence of criminal activity, they will speak to a District Attorney (DA) about filing charges against a specific suspect.

How Do I Know if I’m Being Investigated?

During this period, you may have spoken to the police if they believe you could lead them to the correct suspect or even if they believe you are a suspect. While you may think that nothing is wrong and that you surely couldn’t be a suspect, it is a real possibility. Most people do not know how to handle themselves around the police and may say something that sounds suspicion or inadvertently admit to a crime.

Knowing when you are being investigated can be difficult as the police will do everything they can to avoid tipping a suspect off. This is because they are afraid you could flee the state or country, and they will only attempt to initiate an arrest when they are sure that you have committed a crime or have enough evidence to convict you.

However, there are signs you can look out for. If the police have repeatedly visited your home, business, or school to speak to you, then it is possible they think you were involved in a crime. If you provided a statement earlier, they may go over the details again and again with you in order to see if you slip up on your alibi. They may also speak to your friends, family, and coworkers when you are not around to get more information about you. These are all steps they can take in building a case against you.

Even though you have not been charged with a crime yet, you can contact a defense attorney at any point to initiate your own pre-file investigation and avoid being charged altogether.

Advantages of Early Intervention

Retaining legal counsel as early as possible may be key to avoiding a conviction or even going to trial altogether. When a defense attorney initiates a pre-file investigation, they can go through the same steps the police took – speaking to witnesses, collecting evidence in your defense, and reviewing your alibi – in order to build a defense case. Most importantly, a defense attorney can also speak with the DA to determine whether or not charges will be filed altogether. A skilled attorney can convince the DA that there is not enough evidence to secure a conviction or demonstrate that their client has a strong alibi.

But not just any attorney can be trusted to handle a pre-file investigation. Some firms only take on clients after charges have been filed, but at jD LAW, our lead attorney is an expert at defending clients throughout the entire criminal investigation. As a former LAPD investigator, he has a thorough understanding of how the police will run a pre-file investigation. He can review all evidence against you, prepare a detailed defense case, and negotiate on your behalf to avoid facing charges altogether or have them dropped early on in a trial.

As a board-certified criminal law specialist, he can also provide in-depth insight into your case and your rights throughout it. When you are facing the reality that you can be the subject of a criminal trial, you need the expertise and knowledge of a San Diego criminal defense attorney with over 30 years of experience. That is why, if you suspect you are the subject of a pre-file investigation by the police, you should not hesitate to reach out to jD LAW at (760) 630-2000. The prosecution may have started preparing their case against you, so you should get started on your defense strategy immediately.