Do You Need a Lawyer if You’re “Only” Under Investigation?

If police are calling you, stopping by your residence or place of work, asking you questions, or inviting you to come to the station for questioning, you are likely under criminal investigation. At Arizona Lawyers, we have taken phone calls and meetings with many concerned clients who wonder if they need an attorney in these circumstances. After all, they have not been charged with a crime, but it seems like police think they could be.

If you are under criminal investigation, you need to retain the services of a criminal defense attorney immediately. If you wait until you are arrested to get legal help, you could be putting yourself at a disadvantage. The sooner the experienced criminal defense attorneys at Arizona Lawyers can get to work building our own case, including gathering evidence and talking to witnesses, the better.

Through early intervention at the investigation stage, our experienced attorneys help clients avoid charges ever being filed or achieved quick dismissals after an arrest. Further, in the event you are arrested and Arizona Lawyers attorneys have already started to work on your case, you will be in a much better position for a positive outcome. If you even have cause to wonder if you should be represented by a criminal defense attorney, the answer is often “yes.”

Learning that you are under investigation for a crime can be confusing and terrifying. Many times, law enforcement do not directly tell you whether you are under investigation. They will talk with your family, your friends, your business associates, or even your neighbors. But they may not talk with you. Hearing secondhand about law enforcement investigating you can be alarming and upsetting, and you may instinctively want to rush to explain yourself to the police, threaten or get angry with people who have cooperated with them, or destroy anything related to what you think law enforcement may be investigating out of fear. Doing any of these is a mistake.

Unfortunately, these normal human reactions to learning you are under investigation can end up causing you more trouble, and can even form the basis of charges where none previously existed. Instead of talking with the police, taking out your anger on others, or getting rid of evidence that could actually help your case, call the experienced criminal defense attorneys at Arizona Lawyers instead.

When you call our office and ask for representation because you are under investigation, our criminal defense attorneys will immediately meet with you to understand the situation and walk you through the process of a police investigation. Further, our attorneys will immediately begin serving as the entity with whom law enforcement must interact, and can often get information from the police that they were not previously willing to share with you. This information includes what you may be charged with and what evidence the police think they have against you.

If you are under investigation, you are at risk—even though you have not been charged with a crime. The best decision you can make is to retain the services of experienced criminal defense attorneys at Arizona Lawyers. Contact us today. We serve clients in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Yuma, Flagstaff, and Glendale areas, and are ready to help you.