Back

Should You and Your Partner Have Separate Criminal Lawyers | Houston Criminal Defense

Dan Cogdell | 992 Views | 09/02/2015

Dan Cogdell

You’re a husband and wife, or you’re a business partner and you and your business partner are being investigated or charged with the same offense and you think, “Hey, wouldn’t it be a good idea to have the same lawyer represent us on the same charges?” Hello, my name is Dan Cogdell. I’m a lawyer here in Houston. I’ve been practicing criminal defense law for 32 years.

You Need Your Own Lawyer

The short answer to that question is probably not, and here’s a few things you need to know. First off, if you’re being charged with or investigated for a crime, you need your own lawyer. You need a lawyer with your undivided interest in mind. He or she doesn’t need to be looking out for anybody else, but you.

Conflict of Interest

The second reason is that the government may try to disqualify your lawyer saying that it’s not ethically appropriate or even possible for the same lawyer to represent two different people charged with the same crime. They’ll file a motion with the judge outlining why they think it is that you have a conflict of interest. That’s a situation that needs to be avoided. There is certainly nothing wrong with your lawyer and your wife or your business partner’s lawyer working together or along side of each other. But don’t think it’s the best play to hire who’s looking out for anybody’s interest other than yours.

If you have questions, if you need answers, or you simply want to talk about the situation that you’re faced with, call me. We’re here to help you if we can. My name is Dan Cogdell. Thank you for listening.

By: Dan Cogdell

Should You and Your Partner Have Separate Criminal Lawyers | Houston Criminal Defense

Dan Cogdell

You’re a husband and wife, or you’re a business partner and you and your business partner are being investigated or charged with the same offense and you think, “Hey, wouldn’t it be a good idea to have the same lawyer represent us on the same charges?” Hello, my name is Dan Cogdell. I’m a lawyer here in Houston. I’ve been practicing criminal defense law for 32 years.

You Need Your Own Lawyer

The short answer to that question is probably not, and here’s a few things you need to know. First off, if you’re being charged with or investigated for a crime, you need your own lawyer. You need a lawyer with your undivided interest in mind. He or she doesn’t need to be looking out for anybody else, but you.

Conflict of Interest

The second reason is that the government may try to disqualify your lawyer saying that it’s not ethically appropriate or even possible for the same lawyer to represent two different people charged with the same crime. They’ll file a motion with the judge outlining why they think it is that you have a conflict of interest. That’s a situation that needs to be avoided. There is certainly nothing wrong with your lawyer and your wife or your business partner’s lawyer working together or along side of each other. But don’t think it’s the best play to hire who’s looking out for anybody’s interest other than yours.

If you have questions, if you need answers, or you simply want to talk about the situation that you’re faced with, call me. We’re here to help you if we can. My name is Dan Cogdell. Thank you for listening.

By: Dan Cogdell