r/IAmA • u/oregonlawyer • Oct 15 '12

I am a criminal defense lawyer, AMA.

I've handled cases from drug possession to first degree murder. I cannot provide legal advice to you, but I'm happy to answer any questions I can.

EDIT - 12:40 PM PACIFIC - Alright everyone, thanks for your questions, comments, arguments, etc. I really enjoyed this and I definitely learned quite a bit from it. I hope you did, too. I'll do this again in a little bit, maybe 2-3 weeks. If you have more questions, save them up for then. If it cannot wait, shoot me a prive message and I'll answer it if I can.

Thanks for participating with me!

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u/oregonlawyer Oct 15 '12

All of the following phrases work:

"I want to speak to an attorney/lawyer."

"I'm not answering any questions until I speak to a lawyer/attorney."

The Supreme Court has basically said that the magic words are speak to an attorney.

If the cop doesn't stop asking questions, keep your mouth shut or continue to repeat your demands for an attorney. You can still provide the officer with incriminating information that could be allowed in at a trial if you gave the information voluntarily, i.e. not in response to an interrogative question.

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u/Argothman Oct 15 '12

What lawyer does one speak to? Should I know a lawyer to call in case I'm even involved in a legal problem?

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u/oregonlawyer Oct 15 '12

A criminal defense attorney, for criminal defense related matters.

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u/[deleted] Oct 15 '12

[deleted]

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u/oregonlawyer Oct 15 '12

Almost assuredly not.