WHEN CRIMINAL AND FAMILY COURT INTERSECT… DO I NEED TWO DIFFERENT ATTORNEYS?

The short answer is no. This situation is actually a lot more commonplace than people might think. If you are arrested for a criminal case, it’s not at all uncommon for a family law case to be initiated shortly after, especially if you have children and you are no longer with the other parent.

So, what do you do if you have both a criminal case and a family law case at the same time? You hire a qualified attorney like the attorneys at Nickols & White, PLLC, to represent you on both matters. Here is why…

The Legal Aspect

Having one attorney to handle both matters is a very smart move from a legal aspect because undoubtedly, if you have a criminal and family case pending at the same time, the criminal case will almost always affect the family law case. For example, let’s say you are arrested for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon; and let’s say that you have a couple of kids; and let’s say that you are no longer with the other parent of your kids. Even if your relationship with the other parent is great and visitation and child support are already set, you can bet that most likely you will be served paperwork for a child custody case. Why? Because once the other parent finds out that you have been arrested that does a couple of things. First, it may make the other parent uneasy that you were arrested to begin with. Secondly, it gives the other parent the upper hand in the custody case. Really, the other parent could go and ask the judge for almost anything with regards to conservatorship, possession and access and most likely the judge will give it to them.

Another important reason to hire just one attorney is that you won’t have to worry about the disconnect or miscommunication you might have if you have separate attorneys. Too many times, clients are short-changed in family court because the family attorney doesn’t really know the facts of the criminal case. Those facts can be extremely important to the court in determining custody of your children. With one competent attorney, all the facts of both cases will be laid out for the court in an intelligent manner.

Additionally, there are a lot of situations you can run into in criminal and family court that are different but that can negatively affect either case. For example, there are things that you might not want to say in family court because it could negatively affect your criminal case. Vice versa, there may be strategies to use in your criminal case that could help your family case. Having one attorney gives you and the attorney ultimate control over both cases and ultimately your livelihood.

The Financial Aspect

The financial reason to hire just one attorney for both a criminal and family case is just as important as the legal aspect. Most attorneys are going to charge you for the estimated time they think the case will take. If you hire an attorney for only your criminal case, you are going to pay that attorney for just that case. You would have to pay an entirely new retainer to your family law attorney. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Neither attorney on their own will give you a break just because you have a criminal and family case. Lawyers expect to be paid just like any other professional, because no one else can do what we do. On the other hand, if you hire one attorney to handle both matters, like our Criminal Defense and Family Law Attorneys at Nickols & White, PLLC, our fees for both cases will generally cost less than if you hired two separate attorneys. We can cut some legal fees for you by consolidating your cases in terms of setting up your files, client communication, scheduling court appearances together and performing legal research for both cases. You wont have to pay us to call the other attorney on your family law case, because it will be us! You can cut a lot of the nickel and dime legal billing by simply hiring one attorney for everything.

Talk to Nickols & White, PLLC about your criminal and family law case

If you have been arrested in Tarrant, Dallas, Denton, Johnson, Parker, or Collin County, or really anywhere in Texas, call us today.  If you have criminal and family law issues and want smart, aggressive representation for all of your cases, call us right now at (817) 617-7500 or send us a confidential message straight from our website.