If you’re like most people, you’re wondering whether you should tell your Wisconsin sexual assault lawyer everything or hold back a few (or more) details.
The simplest rule of thumb is that you should answer all your lawyer’s questions honestly. You don’t have to offer more information than he or she asks for, but you do have to be honest; your attorney can’t defend what he or she doesn’t know.
What You Should Tell Your Milwaukee Sexual Assault Lawyer
Your lawyer needs to know certain things about your case. Otherwise, he or she can’t give you the proper guidance on whether you should go to trial or develop a solid defense strategy. By providing your attorney with the answers he or she asks for, you’re helping your own case.
What Most People Are Afraid Of: A Lawyer’s Duty After an Admission of Guilt
Whether you’re innocent or guilty, your lawyer’s job is to protect your rights and get you the best possible outcome.
Even if you admit guilt to your attorney, that doesn’t mean that the case shouldn’t go to trial. For example, if you’re guilty of lesser crimes than the prosecution has charged you with, it may be in your best interest to go to trial. If the prosecution won’t negotiate a plea deal, or if the prosecutor offered an unreasonable plea deal, you might be best served by a jury of your peers.
The bottom line: even if your attorney knows you’re guilty of the crime you’re accused of committing, there’s nothing stopping him or her from arguing that a jury should acquit you. If your lawyer finds that police mishandled evidence, didn’t follow the appropriate protocol, or illegally obtained evidence, he or she may be able to create what’s known as “reasonable doubt.”
Reasonable doubt is uncertainty about the defendant’s guilt. It refers to the level of certainty a juror must have to find a defendant guilty of a crime; they must be certain, beyond a reasonable doubt, that you are guilty.
A criminal defense lawyer’s job is to protect the constitutional rights of someone who’s been accused of a crime so people who are innocent won’t be convicted of crimes they didn’t commit. (Read it again if you’d like—this time, bear in mind that the prosecution has to prove that you’re guilty and you don’t have to prove that you’re innocent.)
Do You Need to Talk to a Milwaukee Sexual Assault Lawyer?
If you need to talk to a Wisconsin sexual assault lawyer, call us immediately at 414-383-6700. You can also get in touch with us online for a free consultation. We’ll evaluate your case and begin developing a strategy that gets you the best possible outcome.
