“My Lawyer Told Me Not To Talk To Anyone About This Case”

One of the reasons I accept court appointments in juvenile cases – but not adult cases – is that the juveniles generally listen to you.  Even then, you can’t always take that for granted.

It was thus very gratifying to read the following exchange described in a psychiatric evaluation for a juvenile client. When the evaluator asked my client about the facts of the case that led to his arrest, my client’s response was:  “My lawyer told me not to talk to anyone about this case.”

We take our victories where we can. This was from a child. The next step is to get my educated adult clients to also heed this advice.