Contacting An Attorney in a DC Federal Drug Case

If you have been charged with a federal drug crime in Washington, DC one of the most important steps you can take is contacting a DC federal drug lawyer to discuss your case. Even before an arrest is officially made, an attorney will be able to do a thorough investigation and educate you on what to expect as your case moves forward. To learn more about what you should expect or what a federal drug lawyer can do for you, call and schedule a consultation today.

Why Is Contacting An Attorney Early In The Process Important?

Getting in touch with an experienced federal drug lawyer early in the case is extremely important because there’s a lot of evidence to look at in these cases and a lot of investigation to be done. It is vital to start undertaking the task early in the case because you want to be ahead and by conducting a thorough investigation early on, you can put yourself in a good position.

You can be aggressive, you can spot issues early, and you can litigate aggressively. That’s how you can be successful in dealing with these types of cases.

Can You Contact An Attorney Before You Are Charged?

You absolutely can contact an attorney before you’re charged, and even before law enforcement contacts you. Sometimes clients will approach a defense attorney when they believe law enforcement has contacted their family or subpoenaed their bank records or a law enforcement agency has left a business card on their doorstep to contact them.

The most important advice that a lawyer can give them at this point is to be quiet. Do not say anything to family, friends, or law enforcement. If a law enforcement agency calls and says, “Hey, I want to talk to you about what we’re investigating you for,” just politely decline. Nothing good happens when talking to law enforcement, and there is no penalty for not speaking to law enforcement. It is also important that people being investigated are educated to the fact that talking to family members makes them witnesses to what was said, and then law enforcement can contact them and compel them to disclose what you said.

In addition, it’s a federal crime to lie to a law enforcement agent, and whether or not a person has “lied” to a law enforcement agent is determined (at least initially, in terms of whether or not to charge someone) by the law enforcement agent. It gives every person the incentive not to speak to law enforcement which is why it is the primary advice many defense lawyers will give. The earlier someone contacts an attorney if they believe they’re being investigated for one of these types of things, the better it is for them.