What's Your Lawyer Fund?

[ak-51]

So after 3 years it's just now getting to the point where I am able to set money back for my lawyer fund. I know that 3 years is a ridiculous amount of time to be operating without thousands of dollars in my corner if the worst case scenario were to happen to me, but it seems like things just kept coming up. I think I've heard before on here that $20k is a good number, that'll be what I'm shooting for initially, but I'm wondering if more is necessary for the possibility of a prolonged case. Safety is my priority, and I see a thick lawyer fund as one of the most prudent things I can do to ensure my safety. I haven't been, nor will I be, buying new cars, rims, big screen TV's or any other big ticket items until my lawyer fund is well established.

So here's my questions:

1. How much money do you have set back specifically for an attorney?

2. Do you think that number is appropriate? If not, what number do you think would be appropriate.

3. Do you live in a med state?

4. How many watts are you running? At your wattage do you think personal use is a realistic defense?

If you have any other worthwhile insight to share about legal costs, please do. I'd be very interested in how much lawyers have cost somebody who has already been busted and how drawn out it was.

Thanks!

 

[dansbuds]

A non med state & I'm slowly building my lawyer stash but a buddy of mine that was busted told me to make sure to have at least 10k stashed .

 

[ak-51]

I guess I forgot to answer my own questions.

1. Between 5 and 10k right now, counting my savings. Eventually my lawyer fund will be completely separate from my savings. I want it kept with somebody else I trust with my life, so that if my assets are seized/frozen I still have it available.

2. I think 20k is appropriate. I would like to have more. A lot of my goal number will depend on how this thread goes.

3. Non-med state. I think if I were in a med state my lawyer fund would be at least halved.

4. 3k. At this point it's unrealistic to think personal use would be a valid defense. Probably 1 flowering light is the limit for a realistic defense of personal use.

 

[Obsidian]

lawyers fund? fuck that use it to travel. paranoid.

 

[Drift13]

When I got popped the person bailing me out) had to prove where my bail $$ came from. I'm sure each state is different, so check for your local. My lawyer alone was $15K

 

[ak-51]

When I got popped the person bailing me out) had to prove where my bail $$ came from. I'm sure each state is different, so check for your local. My lawyer alone was $15K

What was your bail set at. Did they examine where your lawyer money came from as well?

 

[Drift13]

What was your bail set at. Did they examine where your lawyer money came from as well?

My bail was $177K or 17,700 cash. My brotherinlaw threw my bail. I paid him back when our house sold. I paid the lawyer out of my bail.

 

[watts]

have money saved so your loved one can pay a bail bondsman to bail you out.. and $10-20k for lawyer would be nice. Also should be researching good lawyers in your area.

 

[qupee]

10k on the low end, 20k is a great goal, 30k will leave you padding.

I paid 7500 for my lawyer and that was non-trial (but also dealing with parole as well as the new charge). Both my old lady and I had our bails dropped to nothing. We're in a "decriminalized" state.

 

[krunchbubble]

Gone through this several times....

The more expensive the lawyer, the better IME....

So capping an amount you want to save is shortening yourself from getting a GREAT lawyer...

I WOULD SAVE NO LESS THEN $30K TO START....

What i mean by start is that initial amount you give them, WILL NOT BE FOR YOUR TRIAL. The initial money is for the lawyer to go through all the motions, court dates, getting rulings and trying to settle before any trial...

One of my lawyers was $20k till trial, he is now closer to $50k to start....

My last lawyer felt sorry for me and it only cost me $8k, trial would of been $7k more. The person who hooked me up with her, was charged $15k till trial....

 

[Ajunta Pall]

Here's how you find your "cap". You call a good criminal defense lawyer with trial expierence and ask him for a quote. Get a name that carries some weight, don't throw your money away on some bozo ass lawyer who will drag his feet. Paying someone a high fee who you feel isn't living up to expectations will just waste time and more importantly money. Know who you are hiring. Just speaking from expierence.

 

[anditwasfun]

Don't grow, so I don't have a "lawyer" fund...but I have worked at law firms, so I have a little insight.

How much you need to save really varies pending your state...some states allow you to use a bailbondsmen, some you have to actually pay in full or sit in jail. It also depends on how deep you get in. If you're growing a 3k setup at a house that's yours, that's could be 2-5 felonies right there. Then they could check your house you live at if you don't grow at home and they'll find another few charges. If you get caught selling that's extra right there...shit can add up depending on how hard they wanna fuck or scare you. Age/education/prior criminal history/health is also a major factor...I could see someone like you getting bail set at $20k, or even at $150k...but you probably will only pay 10% of that. And if you have a federal minimum plant count, they can pick that up...i've seen people almost get charged dropped with the state and then have the fed pick it up and fuck them. Google some shit.

Also, don't get cheap on a lawyer. Don't ask your friends for advice on that either. Find the richest drug dealer you can and see how they're not in jail. Talk to some local law students/interns who are in the loop in your area. Most lawyers are going to do the same amount of work and charge you around the same price. Sometimes you get a better deal on halfass work, sometimes you get charged more for someone to act like they're doing more shit than they really are. Lawyers are sneaky bastards, thus me not working in that field any longer. Anyways...the point is, most of the time you will get stuck with the charge. Shit gets real. Sometimes you might get a good plea bargain, but 9 times out of 10 a court-appointed attorney will get you the same one as a self-hired attorney. Big dollar attorneys are good because of their status/track record, and/or cause they know the right people...hard to come by, but sometimes you can get lucky.

Then you have to consider having money to pay bills when you lose your income. Bail, lawyer, extra money for lawyer since you always end up owing em more money, rent/utilities for a month or two, etc.

If I were you, i'd want $50k stashed away if I wanted to sleep well at night. Better to have extra than not enough. Maybe if there's some leftover money you can take a vacation.

 

[EclipseFour20]

Ask your lawyer what he will charge for "jury trial"...then double it; that will be the amount you will end up paying (legal experts, research, filing fees, depositions, investigators, etc).

Now if you have balls...and your attorney is competent with the appellate process, try the "double or nothing" deal--you will be in the driving seat. Here is how this works, say the price quoted for your case is $15k...offer him $30k--only if he agrees to include the appeal and all related fees of both cases (the immediate case and the potential appeal) without further cost.

What you get--
1. Legal fees are capped for the first trial to be $30k...twice what he quoted, but then again, I never met an attorney that "under-billed" or performed "under-budget". Besides...his original estimate ($15k) will easily double ($30k) by the time jury deliberates.
2. He is motivated to win...not lose then take your case to appeals, cuz if he does lose--he has to work real hard for "free".
3. You will be client #1.
4. Should you lose and it is appeal time--he is already on it, no down time, no jail time.
5. When the prosecutor is noticed of a jury trial and there is room for settlement--they will make motions to you (nice!).
6. If you settle before trial...you get the unearned fees back, cuz settled prior to trial.

I will say this from experience--this works but make sure the "double or nothing" terms are spelled out in a side letter and it is referenced in your engagement letter.

Cheers!

BTW...consider prepaying your retainer as well, in order to have access your "defense money" you must prove that it was not "tainted"--a tactic the prosecutors use to deprive you the resources for a legal defense. In other words, if you started with no money, and the only money you have is from the alleged criminal activity, those funds are frozen--unless you can establish the money was acquired legally.

 

[qupee]

Gone through this several times....

The more expensive the lawyer, the better IME....

I've known a metric crapton of people who have gone through criminal cases (I spent 6+ years in prison).

Cost is not a clear indication of quality. I cannot count the number of people who paid, 30k, 40k, 50k, and up and hated their lawyer and felt he did a shit job. Likewise, there were no shortage of people who paid under 20k and thought their lawyer was great.

Do your research on the person you are thinking of hiring.

 

[SeaMaiden]

So after 3 years it's just now getting to the point where I am able to set money back for my lawyer fund. I know that 3 years is a ridiculous amount of time to be operating without thousands of dollars in my corner if the worst case scenario were to happen to me, but it seems like things just kept coming up. I think I've heard before on here that $20k is a good number, that'll be what I'm shooting for initially, but I'm wondering if more is necessary for the possibility of a prolonged case. Safety is my priority, and I see a thick lawyer fund as one of the most prudent things I can do to ensure my safety. I haven't been, nor will I be, buying new cars, rims, big screen TV's or any other big ticket items until my lawyer fund is well established.

Very good and I agree with your thinking and line of reasoning. I feel that your fund/retainer size depends on a few things, including location. I know from experience that in areas like L.A. and S.F. $20K is just a start. Most attorneys in those areas, those who are expert and have good records as criminal defense attorneys, start with a retainer in the $5,000-$10,000 range. I have a guy locally who accepted $1,500, but I have never had legal trouble of this sort, I just keep him on retainer for just in case and for legal advice.

Anyway, what you need will depend on their hourly rates. I personally have misgivings about the attorneys who give a lump sum figure, there's such a good chance that they'll put in whatever they *think* the case will need and then when it becomes unprofitable they want to drop it, then you're fucked. It's happened to us in a civil case and it cost us tens of thousands of dollars, quite literally.

I would say that, to be really safe, assuming California or a state with similar attorney costs, you'd want to start at around $50,000.

So here's my questions:

1. How much money do you have set back specifically for an attorney?

Just under $10,000.

2. Do you think that number is appropriate? If not, what number do you think would be appropriate.

For me, given my situation and what the attorney I retained costs, I think it's appropriate.

3. Do you live in a med state?

Yes.

4. How many watts are you running? At your wattage do you think personal use is a realistic defense?

At this moment 0. However, we're on a solar array, I'm not sure how LE would use that against us or how they would determine my usage. When I was visited they observed my outdoor crop, the sun = lotsa watts. I was able to support my use to them, and that was the real issue, seems to be the real issue. I don't move any product to dispensaries or co-ops, it's all personal, so there's no chance of a problem through that kind of avenue for me. Kind of situation specific.

If you have any other worthwhile insight to share about legal costs, please do. I'd be very interested in how much lawyers have cost somebody who has already been busted and how drawn out it was.

Let the public defender do their job up to discovery, and save your money for when you really need it. A lot of people start screaming to get an attorney ASAP, but really, we have PDs in place and they have a job they have to perform. Once you get discovery then you know what the prosecution has on you. At that point you may decide it's worth paying for a private attorney. You're not going to be convicted and executed in the time frame during discovery, so just breathe and let that person do their job, find out exactly what's up and *then* you make your move.

Sometimes a PD is just the way to go, too. Some PDs are very good. It can be helpful to sit in on a few criminal cases at your local courthouse if you can possibly swing it. It can be kinda interesting, too. You *definitely* very quickly get to know who the regular players are and can usually get an idea and feel of the judges and the relationships between them and the prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Oh, a bit of advice on the sitting in on in a criminal court--dress like an attorney. If you're male, wear a suit and a tie and don't look like a long hair or a thug, wear clothes that FIT. If you're a woman, wear court appropriate clothing please. That means skirts of appropriate length and fit, as well as tops that don't expose too much of anything. Definitely, in my world, court appropriate means NO BARE SHOULDERS. No shorts or anything like that, even in a redneck hillbilly kinda place like where I live. DO NOT SHOW UP TO COURT WEARING PAJAMAS. I've seen it, with their hair uncombed and all kinda eye boogers because they just woke up. I swear to God on a Bible I have seen it! When I go into court I am confused to be an attorney, and to me this is a good thing all the way around. I blend in and don't bring undesirable attention to myself. Since this is a very small county that's important.

 

[Behind_The_Mask]

whatever $$ you got...thats the cap on your lawyer fundage

many men died for freedom in this world...and life is short

money comes and it goes

as with everything in life its not what you know
but WHO you know

and big $$$ lawyers know the right people

 

[supermanlives]

my lawyer fund is half of my escape fund.cause i dont wanna blow it all on a lawyer and have no money to flee with. both grow monthly

 

[ClackamasCootz]

"Going to trial with a lawyer who considers your whole life-style a Crime in Progress is not a happy prospect" - Hunter S. Thompson

 

[Cartel530]

yea id say to be comfortable at least 80k. I've seen my boys drop over a hundred on case that woulda cost 'em 25 to life. Find what the best lawyer in your area charges for the worst thing possible because in this game you never know what can happen or what you might need to do. If it comes down to me and them i wont even hesitate.. I know i have accuracy no matter the distance and a good lawyer plus the Corps background always helps

 

[ak-51]

I certainly would like to continue growing my lawyer fund as time goes on. I guess my situation right now is that I am being pretty prudent and frugal with my money until I hit a number. After that I can continue to save, but I'd also like to start spending a little on myself. Of purchases over $100 I have made in the last 3 years, probably 95% of them were grow gear.