If you’ve been the victim of a financial crime, then it’s important to hire your own lawyer to help you throughout your case. You may feel you don’t need legal help as there’s already a prosecutor taking justice against the accused. However, there are certain benefits to having your own lawyer, so you should look into financial crime attorneys in Houston ASAP.
Ask Financial Crime Attorneys in Houston: 7 Reasons to Get Help ASAP as the Victim of a Crime
1. To Protect Your Rights
Every party involved in the case has rights and interests that must be protected. The prosecution’s attorney isn’t going to have your rights in mind. The prosecutor is there to protect the state or nation’s interests. As far as they’re concerned, this is either a federal crime or a crime against the state rather than against you. Hiring an attorney of your own will ensure your rights and interests are brought to light during the case.
Click here to get in contact with an attorney who’ll represent you and make sure your rights are respected and acknowledged throughout the case.
2. To Provide Relevant Documentation
There’s evidence involved in every case. The evidence may come in the form of documentation gathered by your attorney to prove that a crime was committed against you. Your attorney may help provide both the defense and the prosecution with the relevant documentation showing that a crime was committed against you.
Your attorney may bring forth documentation to outline your personal and professional losses due to the crime that’s been committed. Documents showing you’ve been harmed by the crime may make it more likely that you’ll receive compensation or reimbursement of some kind.
3. To Make Restitution More Likely
When a crime is committed, the prosecutor will usually focus on proving the accused committed the crime. Ensuring the victim receives restitution isn’t usually the prosecutor’s main goal. In fact, the victim of the crime is often responsible for pursuing restitution by themselves. Your attorney will typically be the one to fight the hardest to get you reimbursed for the property or finances that were stolen from you.
You need an attorney of your own to be an advocate for you receiving restitution. Your attorney will likely fight for you to be fully reimbursed for what was stolen. They seek justice on your behalf rather than on behalf of the state.
4. To Advocate for a Harsher Punishment
The defendant will usually have a very good attorney that will do everything they can to avoid their client needing to go to trial. Sometimes the prosecutor will extend a plea deal that the defendant may accept to avoid going to trial. As a result, the person who committed the crime may end up with a less severe penalty than seems fair to the victim.
Your attorney may object to the plea deal that was made, advocating for a harsher punishment. Understandably, it can feel like justice hasn’t been served when a criminal walks away with a reduced sentence.
5. To Deal With the Paperwork
If you are involved in a legal case, then there’s often a lot of paperwork involved. The paperwork must be filled out correctly and filed by certain dates. It’s complicated for the average person to deal with, so your attorney may step in to deal with the paperwork for you. This can lessen the stress on you throughout the case.
6. To File a Civil Lawsuit
Some financial crime cases have more elements to them than financial theft. Some crimes have circumstances where the victim has their property damaged or where the victim sustains an injury. Compensation for property damage, injury, and more are not covered in the standard restitution that’s intended to reimburse you for your financial losses.
For example, if you confronted the person committing the crime and a fight began where they physically assaulted you, then you won’t be compensated for your injuries during the case that deals with the financial crime. Your attorney may advise you to file a civil lawsuit against the person who harmed you, and your attorney will be there to defend you and deal with the filing of the lawsuit if necessary.
7. To Defend You in Court
Your attorney will usually work to argue your case even if the case doesn’t go to trial. However, if the case goes to trial, then you need somebody to fight your corner in front of the judge and jury. You may be called as a witness and questioned by the defendant’s attorney. You should definitely have a lawyer present for this. Your attorney may also fight your corner to secure restitution for you if the case goes to trial.
It may seem easier to just let the prosecutor deal with the person who committed a financial crime against you. Instead, you need to protect your rights and increase your chances of receiving restitution by hiring an attorney of your own.