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   David Nathanson (d_j_nathanson@esq.social)'s status on Sunday, 16-Feb-2025 06:01:26 JST David Nathanson

   In response to my #STFUfriday posts, people sometimes ask what happens when you ask for a lawyer. What's the process for getting a lawyer?

   Depends. The takeaway is this: even if you can’t get a lawyer right away, a night in jail waiting for court and a lawyer is far less painful than potentially years behind bars because you didn’t STFU. 🧵

   • Steve's Place repeated this.
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     David Nathanson (d_j_nathanson@esq.social)'s status on Sunday, 16-Feb-2025 06:02:38 JST David Nathanson

     in reply to

     If you’re in custody (say, at the station) and you ask for a lawyer, they have to stop questioning. You have to be clear and unequivocal and not initiate further conversation. But if you follow those rules, asking for a lawyer is one the strongest protections in US law.

     The cops then have to decide whether to charge you based on what they already have or let you go. You’re calling their bluff. /2

     Steve's Place repeated this.
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     David Nathanson (d_j_nathanson@esq.social)'s status on Sunday, 16-Feb-2025 06:18:04 JST David Nathanson

     in reply to

     But they’ll let you use a phone. If you have a lawyer’s number, great. They could come to the station, talk to you, and try to get you bailed.

     If it’s during business hours, calling the local public defender’s office is fine but they likely don’t have the bandwidth to cover both courts and police stations. A very few jurisdictions do have programs to respond to police stations. Slightly more jurisdictions have programs to respond to police stations for juveniles being questioned. /3