3. Why hire a lawyer over a bail bondsman?
Nobody plans to be arrested. Most of our clients have never had to make arrangements to get somebody out of jail, and we acknowledge that it can be a sensitive and, at times, embarrassing situation. It is equally awkward for the person in jail. Given everything that has just happened, people that have just been arrested have a number of legal questions that a bail bondsman can’t answer. We feel that meeting with a client in their greatest moment of crisis is of tremendous importance—even at 4:00 in the morning.
First, you will pay less.
When you hire a bail bondsman, you will pay 10%- 20% of the bond amount plus guaranteed security and collateral in the amount of double the bond.
Second, it's a better investment.
A bail bondsman makes 99% of their money from the first couple of hours of getting you out of jail. They're taking a financial risk based on whether or not their client will show up to court in the future. For example, if you spend $4,000 on a bail bondsman to get you out of jail, you are paying them $1,000- $2,000 an hour. The bondsman will hold the bond until the end of your case, but you will never get that money back, nor can it be applied to attorney's fees. This money can be better invested in hiring a good defense lawyer than in making a quick decision to use a bail bondsman to get someone out of jail.
Third, a lawyer can start on your case at this very important time.
Investigation begins the moment you've been arrested. Once someone is arrested and in jail, the clock starts ticking in terms of finding witnesses, getting witness statements, collecting evidence, and mounting an effective defense to possibly keep a case from being filed or even indicted. Once somebody is out of jail, normally they tend to rest on their heels and wait as their court date draws near. This is a bad idea! If you are serious about contesting your case and keeping a conviction off of your record, you should have a lawyer on your case from the minute you step foot in jail. That lawyer will be able to take a very detailed statement from you, as we expend a lot of time with interviews and collecting evidence. We can begin working on the case immediately to determine if there is any evidence that may have been lost or destroyed. Furthermore, by having a lawyer involved at the outset, we are sometimes able to get affidavits, non-prosecution, or witness statements that may not be as valuable if they are taken weeks or months after the date of arrest. The police officers likely already have the witness statements from the day of or day before the arrest and it is important, if not imperative, for us to be on an equal playing field with them. The clients that use our services to get them out of jail are often able to mount a very effective defense because we have such an advantage in terms of time.
Fourth, hiring a lawyer to perform your jail release will save you time
and stress.
If you hire a lawyer for a jail release, there will be one less person you will have to tell the traumatic events of your arrest to. By having a lawyer involved at the outset, hiring an attorney will no longer be on your "to-do" list. Aside from the fact that we will credit a portion of the jail release fee towards your defense, we will be in a better position to advise you as to what to do when you are out of jail, especially in cases involving protective orders, pretrial release, personal bonds or different conditions of those bonds. We can advise you where to stay or what do you need to do in order to limit your exposure to the criminal system. If we are able to get your case resolved pretrial or even pre-indictment, you will save money on attorney's fees.