Top Five Things to Do If Charged with a Crime

1. Consult with a competent criminal defense lawyer, and speak only to a lawyer about what happened.  Do not discuss the case with anyone else, including family, and especially police and investigators.
2. Keep your charging documents in a convenient place to have available for counsel.
3. Make a detailed record of what happened, including the dates and times of events, the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any witnesses, and what was said. Maintain the confidentiality of it and provide it only to counsel.
4. Strictly comply with any pretrial release conditions.
5. Arrange for financial resources to address bail and attorney's fees.