Frequently Asked Questions During the Intake Process

The following is information regarding the initial intake process and what questions are frequently asked according to a Virginia beach criminal defense lawyer. To discuss your case call today and schedule a free consultation.

What Are Some of The First Questions That You Ask a Potential Client During The Initial Intake Process?

We like to ask the client how they’re doing. Many times people are scared when they’re charged with a criminal offense, they’re nervous about the possible personal ramifications or career consequences or they’re anxious because they don’t know exactly what consequences they could be facing or the possible outcomes of their case.

We like to address these fears right away by letting them know all the possibilities and the worst case scenarios and how likely each one could be. Knowledge is power. Clients oftentimes will feel a lot better once the law is explained and what the possible outcomes are.

Then, we ask them what they’re hoping the end result will be. Different people have different priorities and needs. If the case can’t be outright dismissed, then we can start ranking the client’s goals by order of importance. Some people have a job that can be threatened, some people are in school, some people are the primary caregiver of their children and just can’t afford to go to jail.

All these things could be affected by a conviction and the approach to any given case is going to change based on what the individual client has as a priority.

Are There Any Questions That You Are Frequently Asked by Potential Clients?

Potential clients frequently ask if it’s necessary to get a lawyer. This is really common especially with reckless driving and DUI cases because those are charges that are very common and everyone knows someone who’s gone through it and everyone has survived them, so it doesn’t seem as important to get a lawyer to people who aren’t aware of how the system works or how the charges will affect them in the future.

How Do You Answer This Question?

We answer this question by asking how important the outcome is to the potential client. Can they afford to lose their case? Can they afford to have a misdemeanor on their records for the rest of their life? While it’s perfectly legal for someone to represent themselves, they are going to be treated the same way a lawyer would be which means they’re required to know and follow the court rules and the law.

People think that saving themselves the expense of a lawyer will still get them a good result, but in this day and age, you get what you pay for. Sometimes there are exceptions of course, but the risk of disaster is extremely high. In comparison to a bad outcome on a case, the cost of a lawyer suddenly becomes a lot more affordable.

A conviction can affect more than just someone’s criminal record; when someone loses their driver’s license or has to spend some time in jail, it leads to bigger issues like losing their job, paying heavy fines, or insurance issues. Personally, we wouldn’t replace a broken part of our car engine because we’ve never done it before and we don’t have any training.

We certainly wouldn’t bargain on something as important as our personal freedom and permanent criminal record if we had the option of going to someone else who had done it before and had training.