What should I prepare for my first meeting with my lawyer?

You want your first meeting with your defence lawyer to be as productive as possible or you may leave with more questions than answers. One of the most important things you can do is to write out a detailed narrative of everything you can remember of the incident as well as any other related information. With each passing day, your memory will get worse and it could be the little things that make all the difference in your defense. This can be a working document and when you remember more details, they can be added. When writing out the narrative, make sure to make the title “For my lawyer in contemplation of litigation.” This will help protect the statement under solicitor/client privilege should it fall into the wrong hands.

Another important step prior to meeting with your lawyer is to write out all the questions you have. Meeting with a lawyer can be a stressful time and you may forget everything you planned on asking. Your lawyer will much prefer if you are prepared with a number of questions to discuss in person rather than getting ten emails shortly after your meeting. You need to have all of your questions answered so that you can make fully-informed decisions.

If you suffered any injuries during the incident, take as many pictures as you can and provide them to your lawyer when you meet. These can be injuries caused by the complainant, witness or even the police.

Lastly, you need to bring all of the documents you received from the police when you were arrested. It is important to bring these so that no court dates are missed and you can have all of your release conditions explained to you. If you have any other documents that you believe may be of assistance to your defence, it is important to bring those with you to your meeting.

About Cory Wilson

Cory has represented individuals from all walks of life including lawyers, police officers, athletes, corporate executives, teachers, and everything in between. Cory believes in access to justice for every person charged with a criminal offence regardless of their economic background.