Being accused of sexual misconduct is a stressful experience that can strain your personal life. Aside from the social consequences, it can also have serious legal consequences resulting in jail time. To protect yourself, it’s a good practice to hire a sexual misconduct defense lawyer in California.
If you are facing sexual misconduct allegations, doing thorough research together with a defense lawyer will help you plan your legal defense. To get a clear understanding, let’s take a look at what constitutes sexual misconduct.
How Is Sexual Misconduct Defined?
Sexual misconduct is a broad umbrella covering many different types of illegal sexual behaviors. It includes any forceful and unwanted sexual behavior towards another person — ranging from rape to unwanted touching.
It also includes unsuccessful attempts at unwanted sexual advances. Some examples include:
- Sexual harassment
- Sexual abuse
- Child sexual abuse
- Sexual intimidation
- Sexual battery
All of these behaviors have different criteria, as well as different legal penalties. However, they all fall under the same general category of sexual misconduct.
How to Protect Yourself Against Sexual Misconduct Allegations
If you want to defend yourself against accusations, you’ll need to find a qualified sexual misconduct lawyer. The right lawyer can help you show your side of the story and provide a persuasive defense for your case.
1. Find a Qualified Lawyer
Keep in mind that not every lawyer can handle the unique challenges of a sexual misconduct case. So before you do anything else, you should find an experienced lawyer who can walk you through the process of responding to accusations of sexual misconduct.
A lawyer specializing in this field understands how the cases tend to proceed and the best ways to prove your side of the story. Before settling on a lawyer, look at their experience and work history. You can also ask how many misconduct cases they have worked on or how many years they have spent in this specialty.
You’ll also want to find a lawyer who’s a good fit in terms of personality and your budget.
2. Prepare Evidence
After you are accused of sexual misconduct, you’ll need to begin taking steps to protect yourself. Preparing your own evidence can counteract any accusations against you and show your side of the story.
For instance, if you plan to prove that consent was involved in the situation, you’ll need to collect proof. Some examples are polygraph testing, psychological testing, and more. The specifics may depend upon the type of accusation and how your case develops.
A sexual misconduct defense lawyer in Los Angeles can advise you on the best options that will hold the most weight in court and in terms of public opinion.
3. Learn About Your Options
When someone accuses you of sexual misconduct, your attorney can help you work through potential responses. Your response will also depend upon the action of your accuser. If they pursue a case, you’ll need to prepare a legal defense.
Your lawyer can act as a liaison when necessary, representing you and collecting important information. When you first meet with a lawyer, they can offer a potential legal plan, and the two of you can discuss the type of defense you want to pursue.
4. Stay Informed
Even if you have a skilled lawyer on your side, it’s a good idea to stay educated on what to expect. Though your lawyer can guide you through the legal system, you can learn some of the basics on your own. For example, you might learn how court cases proceed and what to expect.
Staying informed can help put your mind at ease. Instead of worrying about things, you can get valuable answers.
You can also research how to deal with the situation socially. Accusations of sexual misconduct can hurt your reputation, and it requires special attention to handle that issue. While your lawyer can take care of legal concerns, they can’t help as much outside of the legal realm.
5. Gather a List of Witnesses
The best thing you can do in your position is stay informed on public opinion. Making a list of witnesses is something you can do to stay proactive. Your list should include as much information as possible about each person and how their testimony can help or what it can prove.
Witnesses are invaluable in a sexual misconduct case because most cases are primarily between two people. If you can involve witnesses, you can open things up to include others and provide a more objective understanding of the situation.
You may be surprised at the witnesses who yield the most helpful information!
6. Stay on Your Best Behavior
Though accusations of this nature can be stressful and upsetting, it’s more important than ever to project a positive, trustworthy image. An off-color comment made in frustration in court can come back to bite you later on.
A lawyer can offer tips and guidelines on how to present yourself in public and in a legal setting during your case. Staying in control is essential in a court case that could affect your reputation.
7. Create a Timeline
In criminal cases, the victim generally has to give a timeline of the events as they happened. When you create your own timeline, you have a solid understanding of what transpired and when incidents happened. Your own version of events can be compared to the person accusing you.
Creating a timeline will also help you keep your story straight and avoid getting tripped up when it matters most, such as during interrogation in a legal setting.
Consult With an Experienced Defense Lawyer Today
While some of these methods can be done on your own, others require the expertise and assistance of your lawyer. Together, you can do the work needed to protect your reputation, your family, and anything else that may be in jeopardy after a sexual misconduct accusation.
LibertyBell Law Group has expert attorneys who are among the most sought-after legal professionals in the nation. We have the knowledge to help clients from all walks of life. When you hire us, you get help from a legal team dedicated to resolving your legal troubles.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you fight sexual misconduct allegations. We offer free consultations to discuss your case!
Gina Tennen
Founder
At A Glance
- Expert legal strategist.
- Experienced in both prosecution and defense.
- Relentless fighter for her clients with results to prove it.
- Received the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers Award
- Featured in Time Magazine’s “Leaders of Criminal Defense” in the 100 Most Influential People edition.
Executive Managing Attorney Gina Tennen is a renowned leading advocate of personal liberties. Her meticulous trial preparation and exceptional ability to pursue every possible defense has earned her the admiration of clients and respect from prosecutors, judges, and other criminal attorneys all over the nation.
Lawyer Tennen began her career as a Senior Law Clerk for one of the toughest District Attorney’s offices in the country where she gained remarkable experience in juvenile crimes, elder abuse, parole hearings, child abuse, sex and other serious crimes. Her experience at the District Attorney’s Office armed her knowledge and case strategy in exploiting the other side’s weaknesses for the client’s advantage and building a rock solid defense. Criminal attorney Tennen’s experience on both sides and brilliant maneuvering throughout is evidenced in her winning track record. In fact, even before earning her law degree, she was instrumental in getting excellent results on several criminal cases outshining her peers.
A consummate strategist and top criminal attorney, lawyer Tennen works tirelessly on many high profile criminal cases. She is known as a relentless fighter who never gives up on any case. Whether the case is hers or handled by another criminal defense attorney from LibertyBell Law Group, no matter how small the case may seem she asserts that every client deserves the right to the best legal representation.
It is her deep belief and what she has built her entire career and lifelong dedication to that there is always hope for every client and every avenue should be pursued regardless of the time and energy it takes. For criminal attorney, Gina Tennen, devoting the finest criminal defense for clients is a habit and talent that you must apply and do all the time.
You demand the best defense. Take hold of your life and speak to our defense attorneys by calling 855-LAW-PRO1 (855-529-7761) now.
Founder Gina Tennen and all the sex offender attorneys at LibertyBell Law Group uphold that when the bell rings, it rings for life and liberty for all.
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