3 ms·

But lawyers are expensive, and if it turns out you are just a witness, you are going to be spending a lot of money for nothing. And then consider if you are ar

by thayne 4mo ago

But lawyers are expensive, and if it turns out you are just a witness, you are going to be spending a lot of money for nothing. And then consider if you are are the spouse or parent of a murder victim or missing person, and are innocent. You are almost certainly going to be a potential suspect, but you also want to help them find the actual criminal, and if hiring a lawyer makes you "look guilty", then the police might focus their investigation on you rather than finding the real perpetrator.

linsomniac 4mo ago
>But lawyers are expensive Maybe, but it can also be VERY expensive to NOT have a lawyer. I have a lawyer that offers free 30 minute initial conversations. But I also practically beg her to charge me for her time because it's valuable to me to get her take on the situation.
- thayne 4mo ago
  This is an example of the Vimes Boots theory. If you are well enough off that you can afford a lawyer, you might be better off in the long run, while someone who doesn't have the disposable income for a lawyer can end up losing more than the cost of the lawyer.
spelk 4mo ago
>And then consider if you are are the spouse or parent of a murder victim or missing person, and are innocent. You are almost certainly going to be a potential suspect, but you also want to help them find the actual criminal, and if hiring a lawyer makes you "look guilty", then the police might focus their investigation on you rather than finding the real perpetrator. I agree. This is a real problem in law enforcement. The issue is that while they're competing interests, my right to remain innocent should rationally supersede the deep profound desire for justice (but I recognize it rarely plays out this way).
- thayne 4mo ago
  In a missing person case, it isn't just justice, you also want your loved one back (assuming they are still alive).
mplanchard 4mo ago
Somebody else linked to a follow up talk by the lawyer in the video[0], in which he gives an example where this exact thing happened, and they wound up convicting the guy based on his attempts to help them. He was later exonerated. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48560692 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48560692

by thayne 4mo ago

linsomniac 4mo ago

>But lawyers are expensive Maybe, but it can also be VERY expensive to NOT have a lawyer. I have a lawyer that offers free 30 minute initial conversations. But I also practically beg her to charge me for her time because it's valuable to me to get her take on the situation.

thayne 4mo ago
This is an example of the Vimes Boots theory. If you are well enough off that you can afford a lawyer, you might be better off in the long run, while someone who doesn't have the disposable income for a lawyer can end up losing more than the cost of the lawyer.

spelk 4mo ago

>And then consider if you are are the spouse or parent of a murder victim or missing person, and are innocent. You are almost certainly going to be a potential suspect, but you also want to help them find the actual criminal, and if hiring a lawyer makes you "look guilty", then the police might focus their investigation on you rather than finding the real perpetrator. I agree. This is a real problem in law enforcement. The issue is that while they're competing interests, my right to remain innocent should rationally supersede the deep profound desire for justice (but I recognize it rarely plays out this way).

thayne 4mo ago
In a missing person case, it isn't just justice, you also want your loved one back (assuming they are still alive).

mplanchard 4mo ago

Somebody else linked to a follow up talk by the lawyer in the video[0], in which he gives an example where this exact thing happened, and they wound up convicting the guy based on his attempts to help them. He was later exonerated. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48560692 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48560692