If You Bond Out, Judges May Think You Can Hire a Lawyer
Video Transcribed: When do I need to hire a criminal defense attorney? Hi, I’m Ty Smith, Oklahoma City criminal defense attorney with Wirth Law.
This is a question that comes up a lot with people who are new to the criminal justice system, which is a good thing. You don’t want to have a lot of interactions with the police or have a lot of familiarity with being charged with a crime.
But the simple answer to the question is if you don’t qualify for a public defender. Now, there’s not a set amount that you have to make to be disqualified from having a public defender, but it is just a general means test that you have to apply for.
And the big one that courts will look at that creates a presumption that you can pay for a private attorney is whether you bonded out. You were arrested and you were put in prison for a little bit and you bonded out, that creates a presumption with the court that you can pay for a private attorney, you’ve got financial means to do so, so you probably can’t.
That doesn’t mean you’re not going to, or that you’re not going to qualify for a public defender, but if you can bond out, most judges think you can probably pay for an attorney. And so that’s where you’re going to want to reach out to someone who is very familiar with criminal defense.
If that’s you or someone that you know, one of your loved ones, please feel free to reach out to me, a lawyer in Oklahoma, at theoklahomacityattorney.com. I’d be glad to answer any of your questions and hopefully put your mind at ease for exactly what the process is going to look like going forward.
