A criminal defence lawyer’s top 5 tips for fighting drug charges
If you have been charged with a drug offence, the most important thing you can do is exercise your right to silence. The police will likely ask you questions or request that you provide a statement that will assist them in their investigation. Because any information you give them can potentially be used against you, it is vital that you stay silent and immediately contact a lawyer so you can understand your rights and obligations in such a circumstance, and so you you can receive advice on how it would be best for you to proceed.- Write down everything you can remember about the circumstances of your arrest. One of the strongest defences to a drug charge is that the police obtained evidence of your crime by committing an unlawful search. If you write down a detailed account of how and when the police searched you, your defence lawyer may be able to draw on some of this information to help build your defence.
- Attend fingerprinting and attend court as directed. If you have been arrested and released for a drug-related offence, you likely received documents from the police that direct you to go to a police station for fingerprinting and that indicate the time, place and date of your court appearance. Ensure you comply with any and all orders in these documents for a failure to do so may result in a warrant being issued for your arrest, as well as another criminal charge for failing to appear or for breaching the conditions of your release.
- Call one of our criminal defence lawyers immediately. Do not delay in choosing and hiring a criminal defence lawyer. The longer you wait to hire a lawyer, the longer it will take to address and resolve your criminal charges and to get your life back to normal. Depending on the nature of your charge, our experienced lawyers may even be able to quickly resolve your matter in a manner that will not only allow you to avoid having to run a trial, but that will allow you to avoid a criminal record completely.
- Enroll in addictions counselling and consider seeking out volunteering opportunities in the community. If you are able to show that you have taken proactive steps to address the issues that gave rise to your charges (for example, substance abuse), and that you are trying to right your wrongs, it may assist your criminal defence lawyer with securing a more favorable resolution to your charges.
If you have been charged with a drug offence, the most important thing you can do is exercise your right to silence. The police will likely ask you questions or request that you provide a statement that will assist them in their investigation. Because any information you give them can potentially be used against you, it is vital that you stay silent and immediately contact a lawyer so you can understand your rights and obligations in such a circumstance, and so you you can receive advice on how it would be best for you to proceed.Related Posts
About The Author
Michael Oykhman
Managing Partner
Michael Oykhman is a senior lawyer and founder of Strategic Criminal Defence, a full-service criminal law firm with central law offices across Western Canada and Ontario.
My professional experience consists of countless court appearances and thousands of successful defences and satisfied clients. Over the last 10 years, I have worked to build a law office where all the lawyers share our collective experience, resources, and passion to help people. Our team approach to legal representation is client–rather than only law–centred. We look for opportunities to add value to our clients through strategic thinking and creative solutions.
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