Should I Wait To Get A Federal Defense Attorney Until This Is All Over Or Should I Hire One Now?
You should not wait to get a federal defense attorney until Covid-19 is over. We are available if you have a federal case. If either you or a loved one is under investigation, or there is a federal case pending, we are still available to deal with those cases.
We will try to get you or your loved one out of custody, keep you or them out of custody, and make the right moves despite the fact that the coronavirus is still an issue. Life moves on, and the Feds are still prosecuting these cases.
Federal Criminal Courts in Los Angeles
In regard to federal courts, in Los Angeles County, and probably across the country for the most part, COVID-19 has pretty much halted the courts from allowing anybody into courthouses except for emergency reasons.
I've had a number of cases that have been continued by the judge, or that the parties agreed to stipulate to continue them. The Feds have been stricter than the state. The state is actually still conducting business by allowing people into the 38 courts across Los Angeles County.
Whereas the Feds will not let cases in their courts. I just had a federal sentencing in which my client, who is in custody, did not want to waste time nor agree to stipulate to continue. He wanted to be sentenced, but the court, on its own motion, continued the case into June. A lot of those federal judges are older, and so, they don't want to expose themselves in any way to anybody that might give them a virus.
However, the prosecutors and federal agents are definitely still prosecuting cases, arresting people, and dealing with them, despite the fact that the court is hearing limited matters. If somebody gets arrested on a federal case, they are probably going to be taken before a magistrate within a couple of days.
I don't think they can avoid dealing with those cases if somebody's in custody, but beyond that, when it comes to the virus, they are not taking any chances.
Do I Need To Hire A Federal Defense Attorney Now?
In my opinion, if you think you are under investigation, or if you have been arrested and have a matter pending in federal criminal court, you should hire a federal criminal defense attorney right away. You don't want to do or say anything that impacts your rights, which causes you to be put in a bad position.
Let your attorney be the one who decides if anything needs to be done in relation to your case. A lot of these can easily be continued by your attorney if it is in your best interest.
But let your attorney be the one to make those decisions, let your attorney be the one to deal with that. You don't want to lose any of your valuable federal criminal rights just because a virus is going on and you didn't do anything. You definitely want to make sure that your rights are protected, that your attorney is the one making the decision on what needs to be done regarding your federal criminal case.
Don't take any chances. Even if I'm not your attorney, hire a good federal criminal attorney to help you. A lot of times, people don't hire an attorney right away. They wait and hope that things get better, but then they end up in a worst position.
Contact Hedding Law Firm for Help
You definitely don't want to be dealing or talking to the federal authorities without your attorney being involved because they aim at trying to get you to do or say something that could incriminate you.
Nine times out of 10, people will come in contact with them, or even if they don't, the Feds will oftentimes claim that somebody did or said something. And even if say that you didn't come into contact with them, it's usually too late. It's your word against their word. Thus, if you have a federal criminal matter, you're either under investigation or underway, pick up the phone now, make the call, we're ready to help you.
Hedding Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm located in Los Angeles County at 16000 Ventura Blvd #1208 Encino, CA 91436 and also at 633 West Fifth Street Los Angeles, CA 90071. Contact us for a free case evaluation at (213) 542-0994.