If you have recently been charged with a criminal offense, you should seek the counsel of a qualified Florida criminal defense attorney as soon as you can. That said, you definitely want to work with an experienced lawyer who understands the legal “ins” and “outs” of your particular situation, and as such, it is important that you seek an attorney who has handled these types of cases before.

Organize all Legal Documentation

After scheduling an initial meeting with a criminal defense lawyer, you should prepare yourself for the meeting ahead by gathering all relevant documents. Some of the items that you should take with you include a copy of the police report (if available), documents relating to your arrest, any documents related to court dates, bail papers, and related legal information. At this time, you should also consider making a list of the other possible suspects, victims, and witnesses involved in the case.

Prepare Comments and Questions

In order to ensure that you cover all points at your first meeting, you should write down the topics that you wish to discuss with your potential criminal defense lawyer. Do remember to also write down questions for the lawyer as well. Some questions to ask a criminal defense attorney during this meeting can include:

• How long have you been a criminal defense lawyer?
• What bar associations or other organizations do you belong to?
• How familiar are you with handling cases related to the charges that I face?
• How would you handle this case?
• How much time do you have to give to my case?
• What type of time-line do you expect for this case?
• How can I contact you when I have a question and when should I expect a reply?
• How do you charge for your services and what specifically is included?

Have you or someone you know been charged with a crime? Contact expert Florida defense lawyers here at Musca Law – you can reach us at 1-866-Musca-Law to arrange your completely free legal consultation.

According to testimony by a passenger, a deputy shot at a vehicle after the suspect stopped following a high-speed chase.  Charlie Torres was shot and killed during the incident.  The passenger, Jessica Annette Cuevas, said Charlie Torres had stopped his SUV and that the passenger had opened her door to exit the vehicle when the first shot was fired following a chase, which ended in Immokalee field.  

Cuevas also testified, “I remember taking off my seatbelt, and I told him [the deputy] I was going to get out of the car.  The testimony was offered in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Cuevas mother against Collier Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and Cpl. Brian M. Cohen.  “I opened the door a little bit.  I immediately felt the glass particles in my face” from the window being shot out, said Cuevas.  Cuevas testified that at no point did it appear that Torres was going to hit the police cruiser or the officers.  She also said on the witness stand that the fastest that Torres was driving after stopping and before being shot was 5-6 mph.  Cuevas also denied that she and Torres had been intoxicated or using drugs that night as had been suggested by the defense in the case.  Read more »

A recent appellate decision by the District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District clarifies a person’s duty to provide accurate identification information to law enforcement officers.  The case, Sauz v. State of Florida, reversed a lower court conviction for resisting an officer without violence charge based on Sauz lying about his identity. 

Sauz was charged with lewd battery after he had sex with a 13-year-old girl.  The investigating detective went to Sauz’s home to talk to him.  The detective was dressed in plain clothes.  The detective indicated she did not go to the house with the intent to detain Sauz but only to see if he would cooperate with the investigation.  When the detective inquired, Sauz gave a false name and date of birth and told the detective Sauz was in Texas.  Based on Sauz lies, he was convicted of the resisting an officer without violence charge.  Read more »