The "don't talk to the police without a lawyer" thing is a meme that is pretty overblown. It doesn't hold for stuff like getting a minor speeding ticket, being

The "don't talk to the police without a lawyer" thing is a meme that is pretty overblown. It doesn't hold for stuff like getting a minor speeding ticket, being a witness to a crime that clearly you aren't involved in, the cop just talking to see whats up (when you aren't otherwise committing crimes). You really need a lawyer: When the cops are interrogating you When you are a suspect or it looks like you may be one. If your wife winds up dead, you are a suspect. If money at work goes missing and you had access, you are a suspect. But if you just happen to see a random kid get hit my a car, you can talk to the police without a lawyer. When you actually committed a crime. Or if you are were involved in some accident, dispute, whatever and there might be a lawsuit. But, IMO, if you try to lawyer up at a traffic stop (when you aren't committing real crimes), when a cop asks how you are doing in a park, or when you are clearly a third party witness; then you'll probably just cause yourself more grief by asking for the lawyer. Lawyers are expensive, you make yourself suspicious, and you might cause the cops to detain you longer.