Domestic violence is no laughing matter; it’s a very serious, dangerous thing that sees thousands of Canadians beaten and even killed every year by perpetrators. One of the more dangerous aspects of domestic violence is that it’s also in no way specific to a single sex, race, creed or culture. It can and does happen across the board. Though another thing that happens, unfortunately, are false accusations, which can ruin people’s lives quickly and have them going to prison for crimes they did not commit.
So if you find yourself in any sort of situation involving accusations of domestic abuse, immediately hiring a domestic violence lawyer is the best possible thing you can do for the situation. Listed below are 5 reasons that hiring a lawyer immediately will always be in your best interest.
5 Ways A Domestic Violence Attorney Can Immediately Help
1: Providing Protection
The first way this helps is to provide protection. Once you’ve been accused, you could face reprisals from multiple arenas. The public at large, including the media, can quickly turn and attempt to try you in the court of public opinion. People sometimes attempt to seek vigilante justice for the accuser, whether the incident happened or not, and may try to assault the accused for retribution. The abuse could have been mutual, yet you’re the one charged, and now you need a restraining order. There are endless scenarios here that could rear their head, and a good attorney can help protect you from them all.
2: Handling the Police and Potential Jail Situation
Contacting a lawyer immediately is a way to protect yourself as soon as arrested. Due to laws in Canada, if the police show up on a domestic abuse call, someone is going to jail, where they will be interviewed and interrogated. It could be that police twist and spin what is said to them to support charges. You can never be too careful, which is why you never speak a single word except to tell the police you demand a lawyer, which is your right as a citizen.
3: Explaining and Possibly Mitigating Charges
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Often is the case that misunderstandings turn into domestic abuse charges, or self-defense can be used against you. Sometimes the word of someone holds weight, even in the face of zero supporting evidence. As the accused, attempting to explain this situation to the police is only going to work to have your words used against you. However, the lawyer taking this information to the prosecution in a formal setting is a much better way to get to the bottom of what’s happening or to mitigate charges.
4: Investigative Purposes
When you hire a domestic violence lawyer, you’re receiving more than just qualified representation, which is your right to have. You’re also receiving someone in your corner who is going to help investigate and get to the bottom of whatever’s going on. For instance, people who’ve been falsely accused rarely end up being charged and convicted if they have a qualified lawyer, whereas people who do not retain counsel have no way to fight back. You want to get a lawyer on your case as quickly as possible, so the web can start unraveling. This is the difference between having charges dropped or having to go through the process of a trial.
5: Helping to Guide Through the Process
Once someone is arrested or taken in informally for domestic violence issues, it’s important to understand that this is a process. Although technically innocent until proven guilty means no actual sentence can be passed without due process, the police aren’t going to treat it that way. You can be interrogated relentlessly, locked up and require a bond, and have your life turn upside down. A lawyer is going to help you understand what to expect during this process, which will help out tremendously.
If you’ve been accused of any sort of domestic violence, you need to act quickly to retain a qualified, competent attorney for your case. It is your right to have a lawyer represent you, and the sooner you get one, the better.
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