Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog
The Benefits of a Criminal Defense Attorney For Your Case
Interviewer: When you work with a client, are there any sort of stigmas or misconceptions about attorneys that you have to dispel with them?
Fred Dry: I think the first and most uncomfortable one is that all lawyers are the same. If you hire a lawyer, any lawyer, it’s going to be the same result regardless of how much time and effort is devoted to the case, the breadth of his skill and understanding of the law and his willingness to challenge the government’s case. There is a difference. Not all lawyers are the same, nor do they handle cases the same way.
People Are Often More Concerned With The Cost Rather Than The Result Of A Case
People often call me up and say, “Well, I only have a battery case.” Or “I only have a DUI” or “I only have a theft case.” “How much?” And I ask them, “How do you want me to handle your case? Do you want to plead guilty? Do you want a jury trial or something in between? Most people don’t know until they have had a chance to meet and consult with a skilled lawyer. Once they have had that one on one opportunity to have their questions answered and the legal circumstances explained to them in the privacy of the law office an informed decision can be made about how to proceed and the correct legal fee can be considered.
I won a murder case about 35 years ago. There were two defendants. I represented one of them. The other guy was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in the penitentiary. My client went home. He was found not guilty of all charges. The next day he called me up, and these were his words “I want a refund. I was not guilty. I didn’t need a lawyer.” He got the best possible outcome in the most important type of case, through high quality legal services, and he did still did not understand the value of those services.
Common Types of Crimes in Chicago
Interviewer: What would you say are the most common types of crimes that you represent people for?
Fred Dry: Misdemeanor speeding tickets have become very common as well as theft, battery, domestic battery, aggravated battery, DUI, drug possession cases, gun cases, assault, robbery, armed robbery, auto theft.
Interviewer: What about some of the more, I guess, obscure cases, where a crime that you represent people for that people aren’t commonly aware of? For instance, any sort of white collar crimes?
Fred Dry: Sure. I’ve had bad check cases. There was a picture of my client and myself in the May 13, 2014 Chicago Sun Times where there is an accusation that my client had passed a $45,000 bad check. Fictitious driver’s license. That is to say a phony driver’s license, using somebody else’s driver’s license, or a fictitious ID for a minor to get into a bar.
Top Misconceptions about Being Arrested for a Crime
Interviewer: What would you say are some of the top misconceptions that people have about being arrested for a crime when they speak to you about their case?
Fred Dry: That everyone who’s arrested gets found guilty, that they can’t get a fair trial because they are black, Hispanic or some other minority.
Interviewer: What about the whole Miranda Rights ordeal?
Fred Dry: The biggest misconception is that people think that if they weren’t given their Miranda rights that the case has to be dismissed. Miranda Rights are only an issue if a statement or confession is given.