Law Office of Michael L. Fell
900 Roosevelt Irvine, CA 92620
(949) 585-9055

Should a Defendant Admit Guilt to Their Attorney?

Every lawyer in the country has a responsibility to fight tirelessly for their client. In the state of California, a criminal defense attorney is required to put the interests of their client above everything else – even in the instance their client admits they’re guilty. Why? Because an attorney can’t ever be 100% sure that a client is guilty, even if they say they are. After all, they may be protecting someone else, may not be in their right mind, or they may be being coerced.

That said, should a person admit that they’re guilty if they’ve been accused of a crime and are working with an attorney? This may seem like a complicated issue – and it can be – but there are answers. Read on to learn about them and then contact Law Office of Michael L. Fell at (949) 585-9055 for a free legal consultation.

You are innocent until proven guilty

Every person in this country has the right to be presume innocent until proven guilty. This means that unless the prosecution has already proven in a court of law that you’re guilty, you aren’t – without exception.

The job of your defense lawyer is to show the weak spots in the evidence the prosecution uses against you. If the prosecution can’t meet their burden of proof, then they haven’t done their job. Remember that when our constitution was ratified, the authors felt that it was better for 100 guilty people to go free than to imprison a single person who was innocent of the crimes they were charged with.

How much information should you give to your attorney?

Every attorney is different and many want a different level of information about your case. Any criminal case, whether for violating a restraining order, elder abuse, or anything else, comes down to what the prosecution can prove. As a result, sometimes an attorney believes that the less they know, the better. They believe that this allows them to be objective and to not let any type of bias get in the way of presenting the best possible defense.

Keep in mind as well that an attorney has their own ethical duty to present evidence they know is false, and not to argue a point that they know is false. If they do, then they’ll be in violation of their duty and could potentially be charged with perjury. It’s our job at Law Office of Michael L. Fell to present the facts of your case to show your case in the best possible light.

Let your attorney call the shots

Whether or not you should share every detail of your case will vary widely based on the specifics of your case, the evidence against you, and your attorney’s preferences. The best move is to follow your attorney’s lead. If we ask you to tell us every detail of the case, then do that. If we ask questions just about specific aspects of a case, then it’s best to answer those. If you have any questions about what to disclose and what not to disclose, call us at (949) 585-9055 for help.