Your Lawyer will keep your secrets.
What is the Attorney/Client Privilege?
When people learn that I practice criminal defense, the common response is, “wow, you must have heard some crazy stories!” And the truth is, I have heard some pretty crazy ones. But you won’t hear any of them from me!
As a lawyer, I am bound by the Attorney/Client Privilege. That means that if someone comes to me for legal advice, I can’t repeat what they tell me and I can’t be compelled to testify about it. There are some exceptions to the Attorney/Client Privilege. First, if you tell me you are about to hurt someone or commit a crime in the future, the Attorney/Client Privilege won’t cover that. Also, if there is a third person listening in, then that waives the Attorney/Client privilege as well. Finally, if you testify in court that you told me something, or to do something, the Attorney/Client Privilege is waived to the extent needed to respond to the allegations. But other than that, my lips are sealed! All attorneys are covered by the Attorney/Client Privilege, and all haven taken an oath to honor the Attorney/Client Privilege.
What does the Attorney/Client Relationship Mean?
Because the Attorney/Client Privilege protects you, there is no reason to lie or distort the truth when you are speaking with your lawyer. It can cause your defense to get off track, or it can cause time and energy to be wasted pursuing the wrong issues, rather than the ones that really matter to your case. Listen to your attorney’s questions and answer them. We are asking them for a reason. We are not here to judge, we are here to help. And if we don’t get the right information, we could miss potential issues or defenses. That doesn’t mean you have to start your initial consultation with every fact and life experience from birth until the moment you walked in the door to speak with your lawyer. A well trained lawyer should know what issues to look for and should be asking you simple questions to help them to get an understanding of which issues may affect your case.
If you have been arrested or are under criminal investigation, get a lawyer early and consult with them often. And remember, if you consult the lawyers of the Ferraro Law Group about your case, you can trust that your story is safe with us!