Hearing in 2 months, shouldn't attorney speak with me every day or so?

Rc3000 · #1 07-11-2018, 02:17 PM

Hello Californians. I am currently expecting to spend some time in either county or state depending on what happens at my arraignment. I will be coming back here to ask advice as we proceed. I would like to know one thing off the top. If my hearing is not for 2 months, is it normal for my Lawyer to be taking things slowly or should I be expecting him to be speaking with me every day or so?

**patchouli** · #2 07-11-2018, 03:02 PM

Best bet is that if he spoke with every client every day or so he wouldn't have any time left to actually work on anyone's case

Its normal to not speak with your attorney often, sometimes only right before court

**miamac** · #3 07-11-2018, 03:36 PM

My husband's first PD spoke with him once or twice before an attempted murder trial.

Is this a private attorney or a public defender?

Rc3000 · #4 07-17-2018, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miamac

My husband's first PD spoke with him once or twice before an attempted murder trial.

Is this a private attorney or a public defender?

I hired a private attorney. Since i wrote this he has been in touch and very helpful. He has helped me understand what his strategy will be and has given great advice.. thanks for the response

yourself · #5 07-11-2018, 05:00 PM

Are you pleading out at your arraignment?

Either way, you are at either the very beginning of your case or the very end, either there’s a ton of work the attorney needs to do (solo, without input from you as discovery is requested and then challenged), or all the work has been done.

Even before trial, an attorney isn’t speaking to a client every day or so 2 months out. Other clients are more immediate, to be blunt.

CenTexLyn · #6 07-11-2018, 08:55 PM

Following on what has already been said, two months is AN ETERNITY. I don't start pressing until I am within a week. Until then, OTHER clients are the priority. There just isn't that much to tell someone with weeks and months to go.

rockchalk1 · #7 07-12-2018, 10:34 PM

The government/state should be giving your attorney any of the evidence against you to review, and your attorney should be giving it to you. It'll take a while for him/her to review it. Don't expect daily communication with him/her, however, do not be afraid to reach out to him/her if you have questions. Just remember, unless you are on flat fee billing, that every call or email you make/send, you will be charged. Sometimes the best thing to do is to keep a running list of your questions and then when you have a bunch of them, send them in one email. Like I said in a prior post, you can get a lot of information here.

Which hearing is in 2 months? Plea? Status? Sentence? If just a status, your case can go on and on. My husband was indicted in Oct 2014, didn't take a plea until Oct 2016 and wasn't sentenced until Sept 2017 and finally reported in December 2017. So it was a very log process. If you want your lawyer to string it out, he should be able to. That wasn't what we wanted, but there was a lot of documentation to go through in his case that took months to go through, then when he decided to take a plea he switched to a lawyer that specializes in sentencing and unfortunately, he moves slow. If not for that, his case would've been wrapped up by the summer of 2016. If it's just a status hearing in 2 months, there is not much to be done in that time by the attorney. If a plea, then there should be a bunch of stuff done in preparation of the plea and making sure the facts are correct. Make sure any documents prepared on your behalf you review and agree with. Don't sign anything without agreeing with what it says.

If it's an arraignment, or bond hearing, then be prepared in case you're remanded and get your affairs in order, which you should be doing regardless.