Many people love California. It’s a big state with iconic cities. You might move there and live in Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco. You can enjoy gorgeous weather and find plenty of entertainment.
However, you might get in legal trouble while living in California, just like anywhere else. If you do something wrong or someone mistreats you, you may need to hire a lawyer.
In this article, we’ll talk about why California residents might need to hire an attorney. If you encounter one of these scenarios, you can start looking for a lawyer who can represent your best interests and give you good advice.
Someone Hits Your Vehicle with Their Car
California has many highways, and some drivers don’t behave very well on them. For instance, you might have a driver hit your car while driving on a six-lane highway in Los Angeles.
Alternatively, a car can hit your vehicle at an intersection on some quiet back street.
If that happens, you might not need a lawyer. If the other driver’s insurance provider agrees they caused the accident, they might pay to repair your car and cover the medical bills you incur.
Maybe the other driver doesn’t have insurance, though, or their provider won’t pay for the crash. If so, you’ll likely need to find an experienced attorney who does car accident cases.
You can pay your lawyer via a contingency fee, and that’s probably your best move in these instances. If your lawyer can’t win the case for you, you won’t need to pay them any money. If the lawyer wins the case, you may have to pay them as much as 40% of your winnings if you set up a contingency payment plan.
You Run into Trouble with the IRS
You might experience an IRS audit. Maybe you made a serious mistake with your tax return. The IRS may also claim that you owe them back taxes. Perhaps you run a business, and there’s an issue with the tax return you filed for it one year.
Tax lawyers exist, and you can hire one to help you. They should have some advice about what to do, and they can also talk to the IRS for you.
Maybe they can get you off the hook, or perhaps they can arrange an agreement with the IRS where you pay them less than they initially demanded. If so, you may have to pay them thousands less than they originally wanted. You’ll find hiring a lawyer well worth it if that happens.
Someone Accuses You of a Crime
Maybe the police will arrest you while you’re living in California. Perhaps you’re a suspect in a crime, like a robbery or a burglary.
You might look like someone who committed the crime, but you didn’t do it. Perhaps you committed similar crimes in the past, but you’ve paid your debt, and you turned your life around. The police might suspect you just because this crime matches your previous ones.
Even the worst former criminals should get a good defense, and hiring the right defense lawyer might keep you out of jail. They can help you corroborate your alibi by producing witnesses that saw you when someone else committed the crime in question. They may also produce evidence proving you are not the guilty party.
If you need to hire a criminal lawyer to defend you, make sure they have plenty of prior experience with this type of case. You don’t want to hire a new lawyer who just passed the bar. Reputation matters and you need someone defending you who knows how to win and has a long history of victories with jury trials.
You’re Arrested for Drug Possession
Many drugs remain illegal, although you can legally smoke, buy, and possess marijuana in California now. Perhaps you purchased some other illegal drug, though, and the cops picked you up in a sting operation. Maybe they stop you while you’re walking or driving and find recreational drugs on you.
If so, that can mess your life up severely if you don’t get the right lawyer. A skilled attorney can get a judge to release you on bail, and they might get you a plea deal so you avoid any jail time.
If you tell the judge that you made a mistake, they shouldn’t throw the book at you. The right lawyer might either get you off entirely or make sure you pay a small fine.
