When the police charge you with a crime, one of your first actions should be to secure an attorney. When you meet with them, they will want to know what happened.
You may wonder what you should tell them and what you should keep to yourself. You might prefer to withhold certain information during the initial meeting, but it is typically best to tell an attorney everything once they agree to represent you.
Your attorney’s job is to defend you, not judge you
When you hire a defense attorney, they agree to do their best to defend you. It is down to the judge and jury to decide whether you are guilty or not and the attorney’s personal opinion does not come into it.
If the attorney takes your case, they will do their best to persuade the court that you are not guilty.
Anything you hide from your defense team might be found out later
Surprises are not helpful to someone trying to defend you. If you fail to mention something, and the prosecution discovers it and brings it up in court, you leave your attorney no time to prepare.
For example, the police charge you with theft. When your attorney asks if you have ever been in trouble with the law before, you say no. If the prosecution discovers you were arrested on suspicion of shoplifting as a teenager but let off without charge, it will undermine the picture of innocence your attorney is trying to paint.
Remember that defending you does not always come down to saying you did not do it. For a court to convict you, they need to prove that you committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. By challenging the evidence, the prosecution arguments or the arrest procedures, the attorney you confide in can try their best to get you acquitted.