The life choices you make matter. If you stay on the straight-and-narrow and never break the law, you might never need a lawyer. If you do need one, maybe you have some tax questions, or you are making out your will.
If you live a more dangerous lifestyle, you’ll probably need an attorney at some point. We’ll talk about some of the more perilous life choices that can lead to you hiring a lawyer right now.
You Drive Recklessly
Maybe you love driving, but you have a heavy foot. You can’t stop speeding, and you get frequent speeding tickets. That’s bad, but speeding can have far worse consequences.
You might hit another vehicle with your car if you speed all the time, or you may strike a pedestrian instead. If that happens, they might sue you. These personal injury cases can take your money, and you might lose your driver’s license as well.
You should ask a personal injury lawyer during your consultation whether they think they can get you off the hook without paying the amount the plaintiff demands. They might suggest you offer some money as a settlement.
If the plaintiff takes it, you may still face criminal charges. Perhaps you can get a plea deal there as well and avoid any jail time.
You Use or Sell Drugs
Using illegal drugs can harm you, but it also lands you before a judge sometimes. If you use illegal drugs, that means you must buy them.
Buying drugs often happens on street corners or in stash houses. You can’t possibly feel safe in these locations. Maybe your drug dealer feels they might rob you with no repercussions.
Even if you don’t hurt yourself buying drugs or using them, the police might catch you, and then you must face the resulting criminal charges. You must hire a lawyer to get you the lightest possible sentence. You can also use a public defender, but they might not give you the best defense or get you the best deal.
If you sell drugs, that’s even worse. The law doesn’t like people using illegal drugs, but if you sell them, that carries longer jail terms and harsher sentences. You might face decades in jail if the police catch you with pounds or other large amounts.
An experienced lawyer might help you, but you will probably still spend some time behind bars. Once that happens, you have a huge blemish against you when looking for legitimate employment after you get out.
You’re a Violent Person
Violent individuals often have anger problems. Maybe you have road rage incidents while driving. You might hop out of your vehicle and punch someone if they cut you off or blow their horn at you when you make an unsafe turn.
You may also strike a family member. The court system doesn’t like domestic violence, and you can face long jail sentences if you do this.
You may argue with someone in public if they make a comment that makes you angry. You may strike your boss or a coworker.
In these instances, you’ll need a lawyer, and you’ll require a good one. They might get you a reduced sentence, but you may still need counseling or anger management. You may get probation if it’s your first offense, or you may get a suspended sentence.
Violence can land you in a civil case and a criminal one as well. The lawyer you hire should have experience, but you must also seem contrite to avoid the harshest sentence. Whether you get any jail time or not, you must mend your ways and find paths forward that don’t involve using your fists.
You Commit Fraud
Committing fraud constitutes white-collar crime. Maybe you’re not selling drugs, but if you’re a cybercriminal and you steal someone’s identity, the legal system won’t like that. Perhaps you use a credit card skimmer and steal card numbers. You can sell those numbers or run up charges on someone else’s card.
You might also perpetrate romance scams where you impersonate someone and solicit money or expensive gifts. You target the unsuspecting and naïve. You may also do corporate espionage. You might hack into a rival company’s network and crash their website.
Cybercrime and fraud mean you’ll likely hire a lawyer and end up before a judge before long. You might get some jail time or a suspended sentence and some community service. If you commit Bernie Madoff fraud levels, you can get decades behind bars. Your lawyer must argue you’ve learned your lesson and should get another chance.
You Run with Gangs
Some people join gangs and terrorize neighborhoods with them. You may do this because you grow up in an impoverished community, and you may feel that a gang protects you. Many individuals join up because they feel this way. They think they have very few viable prospects in their life, and they need a family if their own doesn’t accept or love them.
These situations happen often, and when they do, you might commit violent acts when you see rival gang members. You might shoot someone or stab them.
If you do, and the police catch you, you’ll need a lawyer, and they can probably help you somewhat, but you can easily get lengthy jail sentences. If you sell drugs or stolen merchandise at the gang’s request, you may face many charges at once.
Turning away isn’t easy, but you must escape the gang mentality. If you don’t, you might end up dead or in jail for life. A lawyer can stand by your side, but you must decide you can’t go on like this. Only then can you make meaningful changes in your life and get a fresh start.
Other actions and lifestyles demand lawyers, and if you find you need one, consider making a change. Learn from your errors and find new ways. That way, you can avoid any further legal entanglements.
