Afraid of Looking Guilty? Call a Sex Crime Lawyer Anyway.

Whatever initial fears or concerns you might have about calling a lawyer are nothing compared to the issues you will have trying to face sex crime accusations on your own.

Unfortunately, many people do not seek legal help when they are accused of a crime because they know they are innocent. They trust that the criminal justice process will work as intended. They might also believe that calling up a sex crime lawyer will make them look guilty. After all, who needs a lawyer if they have nothing to hide? The truth is that innocent people are charged all too often, and calling a lawyer is your best option if you want to protect your reputation and avoid the devastating consequences of a Texas sex crime.

Instead of focusing on appearances, you should focus on results. And hiring a skilled sex crime defense lawyer is the best way to get the results you need. If you have been accused of sexual misconduct, contact the Law Offices of Ned Barnett at (713) 222-6767 to schedule your free and confidential consultation.

Your Initial Consultation Is Confidential

We’ve all seen movies where a prospective client slides money across the table to a lawyer before they begin talking. By paying the lawyer, the client is supposedly establishing an attorney-client relationship, which binds the lawyer to a duty of confidentiality. This is not how the real world works.

In Texas and across the United States, anything you say to a lawyer will be protected as long as you are seeking legal advice or representation and you reasonably believe your meeting will be confidential.

In other words, you don’t have to pay a lawyer to ensure that your statements are privileged. When your statements are privileged, it means that a lawyer cannot legally divulge them except in a few situations, such as when:

• You consent to the sharing of privileged information.
• The lawyer believes that you are likely to commit a crime that will bring substantial harm to another person, and revealing the privileged information may keep that harm from happening
• The lawyer believes that revealing the information will rectify a criminal or fraudulent act that you have committed
• The lawyer must reveal the information to comply with a court order, a Texas Disciplinary Rule of Professional Conduct, or other law.

These exceptions only apply in the rarest of cases, so you can rest assured that what you say to a criminal defense lawyer during your free initial consultation almost certainly will never be revealed.

Every case is different, and lawyers have different styles, but in general the initial consultation will focus on the following issues:

• The circumstances under which you were arrested and questioned by the police
• The statements you remember making to the police
• Any statements you made to potential witnesses
• Any statements or contact you had with the alleged victim
• The existence of any evidence of your innocence, such an alibi, or a motive for the complainant to make up the accusations

This preliminary information will help your attorney determine what defense strategies might apply to your case. Should you decide to hire the lawyer, they will request the full case file from the prosecutor, and possibly open an independent investigation.

Criminal prosecutions move fast, and your lawyer will need to act decisively in the early stages of the criminal justice process to maximize your chances of avoiding a sex crimes conviction.

Attorney Barnett Can Start Helping You Today

The earlier you call a lawyer, the better. In fact, in some scenarios you may want to call a lawyer even if you have not yet been charged with a crime. If someone accuses you of sexual misconduct, or the police question you, it is already time to prepare your defense to potential charges. Early intervention may be the best way to explain a misunderstanding without sacrificing your rights. This is often the difference between prosecutors filing formal charges and getting out in front of a situation before it seriously harms your life.

At The Law Offices of Ned Barnett, we will fight for your rights from the beginning and will pursue every option to have your charge dismissed, reduced, or mitigated. Contact us today at (713) 222-6767 for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.