• What to Do When...
• Charged with a Crime
• My Child was Arrested
• Detective is Calling
• Somebody is in Jail
• Federal Agent Stopped by
• Search Warrant
• File an Appeal

What Should you Do Now?

1) Do not call back. You are going to be sucked into a conversation by a trained professional that will result in you making statements that could hurt you. Even the casual viewer of Law & Order knows: the police have ways of making you talk.

2) If you get directly confronted on the phone or in person, politely say "I'm not going to talk to you without a lawyer." You must be firm. Do not worry about offending or getting into more trouble by not talking; this is business – it’s not personal. Remember: they will attempt to persuade you that you do not need a lawyer. Do not listen. Do not get sucked in. Insist on a lawyer being present.

3) Many times the detective will use a family member to try to convince you that speaking with them is in your best interest. Again, this is a tactic designed for the sole purpose of obtaining information or damning confessions from you. Politely tell your family member that you need to consult with a lawyer first.

4) You will be told that by not speaking that you are making yourself a suspect and not a witness. You will also be told that lawyers just want your money. You will absolutely be told that if you don’t cooperate, you’re going to make things harder on yourself. Each of these psychological tactics are deliberated designed to question your confidence in your decision to speak with a lawyer first. Think about what police officers do when they are accused of misconduct: do they talk or do they shut up and get a lawyer?

5) This situation should be considered an emergency.

Set-Up an Appointment

When you call, please identify yourself as a potential client with an emergency. This helps our office prioritize your call as an urgent situation and find a time to meet with you in person as soon as possible. Then, please have the following information available so we can be of better help to you during our telephone conversation:

1) Be in a place where you have the privacy to talk freely. Our conversation will be protected by the attorney-client privilege, meaning that everything you tell us will be confidential.
2) Have the name of the detective and his or her telephone number handy.
3) Do you know why you are being investigated?
4) Have you already spoken with the police?
5) Are there any deadlines or appointments you have already made before speaking with us?

We will also ask if you have ever hired or consulted with lawyers before so that we may tailor the answers to your questions accordingly. We will then schedule an appointment for our first meeting. After our conversation, we will e-mail you a .pdf file with additional questions and materials to bring to our first meeting. We ask that you respond to these questions prior to our meeting.

Our office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and we can be reached during these hours at (512) 381-9955. For after-hour emergencies (e.g., getting someone out of jail) please call (512) 536-1374.

For answers to frequently asked questions about legal fees, retainers, consultations, etc., click here.