Dealing with a physical violence done against you, be it sexual assault from a stranger or domestic violence can be an incredibly difficult thing to go through. If you are being falsely accused of these acts, that can be even worse. Of course you’ll need to hire a sex crime attorney and get the highest level of legal representation that you can. Chances are, your accuser’s sex crime attorney is going to be a compassionate lawyer that believes their client. You need someone that can combat that and prove your innocence.
- Hire a Sex Crime Attorney As Soon As You Can
This is your first step. The minute that you realize you have been accused or even suspected of a sex crime, you need to get in touch with an attorney. Sex crimes are one of the more serious offenses. They lead to imprisonment as well as being on the sex offender registry for the rest of your life. The most important things to remember is not to talk to any police or investigators or anyone until you have hired a sex crime attorney. - Look For a Specific Attorney
There are many different kinds of attorneys. Of course you have the general lawyers like criminal defense attorneys but lawyers can get very specific when it comes to the things that they deal with like domestic violence attorneys among others. Find a lawyer that has experience dealing with the very thing that you are going through. Narrow your choices down as much as you can without meeting with each of the attorneys. Then comes the next step. - Conduct Initial Consultations
Typically, law firms will allow each potential client a free initial consultation. Treat this meeting like an interview. This is where you will decide which lawyer you want to represent you. This is also when they decide if they are going to take your case. So, for all intents and purposes, you both are at an interview for the other person. Make sure that you state your case clearly and as honestly as you can. They don’t want any surprises once they’ve already taken the case and neither do you. You want to know that the lawyer can handle what your case is. Ask all the same questions to each lawyer so that you can compare the answers and see which one you like best according to the standard you have set. - Consider How You’ll Pay
There are some differences depending on the law firm. Here are some of your options of how you might be able to pay. You’ll need to ask each lawyer what their policies are.
First you have your fixed fees. These are one time fees that you pay each lawyer in order to complete a specific task. Particularly in sex crime cases, these are typically broken into time frames. You might be able to pay separate fees for separate arraignments.
There are hourly fees. This is basically making payments based on how many hours that the attorney works for you. Most of the time, criminal defense attorneys have an hourly rate. Make sure you ask what their hourly rate is and how many hours they think they will need to bill for. If they have worked on cases like yours, they should have a good idea.
A retainer fee is kind of like a down payment. Some lawyers want money up front so that they can get started. Any legal fees are usually taken from the down payment until it is gone and then you will be responsible for paying the rest.
Some attorneys may accept property and cash payments. For the most part, money is money, no matter what form. You’ll just have to ask the attorney. If you do not have enough money, they may be able to play a lien on a property of yours.
Contingency fees seem like the best idea but they have their cons. The idea with this form of payment is that you don’t have to pay a penny until the lawyer wins your case. The problem with this method is that once you win, you’ll owe about 30% or 40% of your settlement to them. However, if they don’t win, you don’t owe and that is a good incentive.
