You've been charged with a crime. You're scared. You're confused. You want to know what's going to happen.

So what do you do?

You Google it. You ask ChatGPT. You call your mom. You text the friend who "knows a guy" who went through something similar. You find a Reddit thread from six years ago where twelve strangers confidently give twelve different answers.

Don't. Call a criminal defense lawyer.

There will be plenty of time for Google later.

The period immediately after being charged with a crime can be incredibly important. Decisions you make now can affect your case months—or even years—down the road. What you say matters. Who you say it to matters. What you do next matters.

And every criminal case is different.

Google can tell you the maximum sentence for a crime. It can't tell you whether you're likely to receive it. AI can explain a legal concept. It doesn't know the prosecutor, the judge, the witnesses, or the thousands of little details that can determine how your particular case turns out.

Your mom loves you, but she probably doesn't practice criminal law.

Your friend means well, but his cousin's OUI from 2017 doesn't make him a criminal defense lawyer.

And Reddit? Please don't let anonymous strangers on the internet plan your defense.

Talk to someone who actually does this for a living.

When someone calls me about a criminal charge, I'm drawing on years of experience handling real criminal cases in Maine. I can usually help someone understand what they're facing, what actually matters, what doesn't, and what they should—and absolutely should not—do next.

And here's something I want people to know: I'm always happy to talk about a case, free of charge.

You don't need to have decided whether you're hiring me. You don't need to know exactly what questions to ask. You don't need to understand the charges.

Call me and tell me what happened.

I became a criminal defense lawyer because I genuinely want to help people navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Sometimes a short conversation can replace days of anxiety and internet searching with actual answers and a plan.

If you've been charged with a crime in Maine, your first move shouldn't be Google, AI, your mom, your friend, or Reddit.

Talk to a criminal defense lawyer.

And if you want to talk to me, call me.

It's free. I literally want to help.