Talking with lawyer beforehand

[Gimpee]

I tried doing a basic search to see if there are any posts about this already, I didn't find any, so if there are, please direct me to them.

After I took my CC class the instructor gave me a list of some lawyers to use in case the worst happens. My question is, should you meet with a lawyer beforehand so they know who you are? I don't think I could afford a "retainer" to keep someone just in case I ever need to use them.

My concern would be that I'd defend myself at say 2am and go call one of those lawyers and they wouldn't answer or don't know who I am so they don't care about helping.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Treo]

I'd call around and see what the retainer fee is first but yes, it's always best to have some one who has an idea of who you are representing you

[Keltyke]

Retainers are usually not that much. Check them out, it's a good idea to have someone who'll come down for your questioning or be at your bond hearing and arraignment. It helps that he has bail contacts, too.

[Agent47]

Lawyer Retainer Fees

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

[hamlet]

Just a thought: it might look a little weird if you did get into a SD shooting and and before you had already retained an attorney expert in Self-Defense. Maybe better just to talk to one, ask if the need ever came up if you could contact them?

[ppkheat]

My concern would be that I'd defend myself at say 2am and go call one of those lawyers and they wouldn't answer or don't know who I am so they don't care about helping.

You have a legitimate concern, I had the same thoughts. I had a few legal questions on unrelated gun matters so I made an appointment with a local attorney, who also does very good criminal defense work. I spent a little time with him with me first asking my business-related questions, I concluded my visit with him with a self-defense shooting scenario and the fact that I might need an attorney at 2 am.

He said his firm has an after-hours answering service that would get in touch with him or one of his partners. He also gave me his personal cell phone number, and he never asked for a retainer.

Be sure to ask him about you making any verbal or written statements immediately after a shooting. Also ask him about the liklihood of you sitting in jail while waiting on your attorney to help you interview with the police and get out.

It's likely it won't be cheap, pleasant or easy.....hope for the best......at least you're alive.

[MadMac]

I guess it all depends on how many SD shootings you plan to participate in.

Personally, just because I cc, I'm not assuming the next thing I'll need is an attorney to represent me after all the killin' that's bound to follow.

YMMV.

[Bark'n]

The time to go shopping for an attorney is before you pull the trigger.

Sorry, but it was worth repeating.

If there's one thing I learned from Ayoob and others is that there are more than just a few people in prison for manslaughter simply because their attorney was ill prepared or equipped to handle the case.

I want an attorney who understands all the fine nuances of physio-psychological aspects of being in a deadly force defense shooting. If he doesn't understand what amaurosis fugax, auditory exclusion, tachypsychia, cognitive dissonance is and how it can apply to a case and more importantly, how to overcome such obstacles should they arise, I'm scratching him off my list. Likewise, if he hasn't ever won any affirmative defense cases in the past, I don't want him.

You don't need to have an attorney on retainer, but I feel it is best to meet with a few which come recommended and get a feel for who they are and what their record is regarding self defense shootings.

A lot will give an initial consultation for free, however if it cost you a couple hundred bucks for consultation to meet with say 3 or 4 attorney's, I'd say it is money well spent.

I'm sure there's gonna be a lot who won't agree with this. That's fine.

There will be some who say they aren't going to spend the price of a gun just to meet with a few lawyers they haven't even needed yet. That's fine too.

However, for me, at 1 am in some underground parking garage of some hotel I'm returning to on a Saturday night, and I've just shot someone... I want to know the lawyer I'm calling and at least have met with him instead of thumbing through the yellow pages at One Police Plaza making a "cold call" on a lawyer when my freedom, my house and every dime I own depends on it. That's just not how I roll.

No one told me that carrying a gun for self defense was going to be an inexpensive endeavor, and I didn't expect it to be.

Survival is a personal thing. Just how much is it worth to you?

When it comes to my life, my survival and my freedom, I'm not a bargain basement shopper.

JMHO

[JonInNY]

Yes, you should have a pro-2A attorney you can call in case of emergency. Some lawyers may not even require a retainer, but a retainer does buy you some peace of mind, and a phone number that works 24/7.

A good investment, IMHO.

[Keltyke]

Just a thought: it might look a little weird if you did get into a SD shooting and and before you had already retained an attorney expert in Self-Defense.

You'll look even weirder spending time in jail because you didn't. It's called "being prepared" and almost every CC expert out there recommends it.

Personally, just because I cc, I'm not assuming the next thing I'll need is an attorney to represent me after all the killin' that's bound to follow.

I wouldn't stake my freedom on that assumption. You just shot and possibly killed someone, and you don't think you'll need an attorney??? As someone once said, "A man who represents himself in court has a fool for a client."

[ppkheat]

I guess it all depends on how many SD shootings you plan to participate in.

For the record, I don't have any pre-conceived plans to participate in any shooting, multiple or otherwise. In fact my major plan is to avoid trouble if at all possible.

I think speaking to an attorney is somewhat like buying car insurance before you need it; I don't plan to have an accident, but I know it could happen.

[kelcarry]

When you get a name and number write it on you CCWP.

[glockman10mm]

BARK'N is right. We carry because we are proactive in our planning. Anyone who would argue that this is not a good idea needs to make 2 professional appointments. One to a good attorney, and the next to a good psychiaitrist to get their head examined.

[OldVet]

Just a thought: it might look a little weird if you did get into a SD shooting and and before you had already retained an attorney expert in Self-Defense. Maybe better just to talk to one, ask if the need ever came up if you could contact them?

Plenty of people have lawyers on retainer for many reasons. It's not an uncommon conception for anything.

[OldVet]

I think speaking to an attorney is somewhat like buying car insurance before you need it; I don't plan to have an accident, but I know it could happen.

Yeah, and after the accident, it's too late for the auto insurance.
While having a lawyer on retainer isn't necessary, it sure is convenient when it hits the fan.