Contacted by Investigators? Get Advice Before You Respond.
What you say, preserve, consent to, or produce can shape the case before an arrest. A controlled response begins with understanding the investigation.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS & PRE-CHARGE REPRESENTATION
Pre-Charge Representation Begins Before a Court Case Exists
An investigation may begin with a call, interview request, records demand, subpoena, search warrant, workplace inquiry, or request to surrender. At that stage, the government may have information the subject has not seen, and ordinary explanations can be compared with documents or statements gathered elsewhere.
Counsel can seek to identify the agency, subject matter, status, deadlines, and immediate risks before deciding whether, when, and how to respond.
Reasons to Obtain Advice Early
Avoid an unprepared interview or unnecessary consent
Preserve favorable video, messages, records, location data, and witnesses
Evaluate subpoenas, search warrants, property receipts, and document demands
Address a requested surrender or warrant in a controlled manner when possible
Identify employment, licensing, family, civil, forfeiture, or regulatory consequences
CASE ANALYSIS
Evidence and Issues We Examine
Investigator communications and the wording of any request
Known allegations, timelines, people, entities, and transactions
Searches, consent, warrants, subpoenas, and digital devices
Statements, recordings, messages, email, account access, and attribution
Financial, business, employment, location, or surveillance records
Preservation duties, privileges, third-party records, and parallel proceedings
Do Not Create a Second Problem
Do not delete, alter, conceal, transfer, or ask anyone to change evidence. Do not contact a complainant, witness, employee, or co-subject to coordinate accounts. Preserve the investigator's contact information, messages, documents, and deadlines, and obtain advice before giving a statement or consenting to a search.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Experience Relevant to Investigations
Attorney Dan Hassinger has practiced law for 15 years and previously served 15 years in law enforcement. His investigative background includes several years as an undercover detective, fraud and financial-crime investigations, confidential informants, surveillance, court-authorized interception of communications, interviews, and evidence development.
That experience informs a disciplined review of how an investigation began, what investigators may be testing, what evidence is missing, and how a response could affect charging decisions and later litigation.
What Happens After You Call
We obtain basic names and facts and complete a conflicts check.
Dan identifies the agency, contact person, requested response, deadline, and immediate risks.
You receive guidance on preservation, communications, interviews, documents, devices, and the next step.
If representation begins, the scope and fee are confirmed in writing.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Pre-Charge Representation FAQs
Does hiring a lawyer make me look guilty?
No. Obtaining advice before responding protects accuracy and legal rights. Counsel can communicate professionally without making accusations or unnecessary statements.
Should I attend a “voluntary” interview?
Obtain advice first. “Voluntary” generally describes whether you must attend; it does not mean the interview is low-risk.
Can a lawyer stop charges from being filed?
No lawyer can promise that result. In some matters, timely preservation, clarification, legal analysis, or a controlled presentation may affect the information considered before a charging decision.
What if investigators have my phone or computer?
Preserve the warrant, consent form, receipt, passcode request, and communications. Do not remotely wipe, alter, access, or ask another person to change the device or account.
Request a Confidential Pre-Charge Review
Call (941) 313-2559 or send a brief message using the form below. Please do not include confidential information before a conflicts check.