Why Innocent People Need Lawyers

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

Miami criminal defense attorney Brian Tannebaum writes about people who fear that hiring an attorney will make them look guilty.  I see this, too, although by the time people call me, they’ve usually gotten past that point.

More often what I see is people who become uncomfortable after I tell them to stop talking to others.  In particular, I want them to stop talking to the police.  That’s when I tend to hear, “But won’t I look guilty?”

And my response to them is the same as Brian’s response to people who think they’ll look guilty just by hiring an attorney: “No.  You already look guilty.”

And that’s just one of the reasons innocent people need lawyers.

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Innocent Although “Proven” Guilty

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Governor Schwarzenegger today vetoed, among other anti-crime bills, a bill which would have required corroborating evidence for the testimony of jailhouse snitches.

Has the Governor gone soft on crime?

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