dr. Adam Lakatos - Criminal Lawyer Budapest, Hungary

Our criminal law office in Budapest provides full defence services to anyone involved in criminal proceedings due to one reason or another, whether (s)he is an aggrieved person, a criminal defendant (suspect or accused) or another participant in the proceedings. It is important that a criminal proceeding does not start with the trial hearing, it is, therefore, practical to take care of professional defence as early as possible so that a defence strategy may be worked out right after the start of the proceeding, with the help of a defence counsel. The counsel of our office act on behalf of our clients with utmost care and professional experience.

To sustain co-existence in society, it is necessary to have rules of conduct which guarantee the life, bodily integrity, liberty and wealth of individuals as well as public order and public safety. One of the most ancient methods of compelling people to abide by the rules of conduct serving the harmonious balancing of diverse interests is that the state threatens the violation of such rules with punishment, i.e. it creates criminal law.

When do you need a defence counsel to help you?

The presence of the defence counsel (defence attorney, defender, criminal lawyer) is justified, nay, it is necessary right at the beginning of a criminal proceeding, even affecting the entire defence strategy, since the phase of interrogation is a very critical part of the proceeding, where professional advice and help is most needed. The circumstances of the interrogation of suspects weigh heavily on the defendant, not infrequently creating a feeling of vulnerability. It is important to note that all statements made by the suspect in the course of her/his interrogation may be used as evidence in the criminal proceeding, even against the suspect. The presence of the criminal defender at the interrogation is of paramount importance for he guarantees the faultless exercise of the defendant’s rights and conformity with procedural rules.

If you are going to be interrogated as a witness or a suspect in a criminal proceeding, use by all means the help you can get from a defence counsel well versed in criminal law. Just like when having even a slight illness, we turn to a medical doctor for efficient help, we should never be too greedy about the money and time for getting help from a professional, the defence counsel in the criminal proceedings against us. In such instances we should never be left alone in the maze of paragraphs.

There are no simple cases

There are no two identical criminal proceedings. They are all special, each client is different and equally important for us. Once you disclosed to us the facts and data inevitably necessary for mounting a criminal defence, we formulate a defence strategy to reach the optimal result.

The right to defence

In a criminal proceeding, the defendant (suspect, accused) is entitled to defend himself, but he also has the right to employ a defence counsel of his choice. The right to defence is important, among others, because it is meant to balance the dominant position of the authority in its relationship with the defendant.

Task of the defence counsel

The defence counsel (defence attorney, defender, criminal lawyer) helps the defendant (suspect, accused) to understand the charges against him in the criminal proceedings, to state his position on it, to present his reasons against the charges, to make remarks with regard to the activity of the authorities and to make motions. The defence counsel also makes motions for the finding of exculpating and/or mitigating evidence, he also promotes the exercise of other rights of the defendant, as laid out in laws.

Only a small portion of criminal law norms may be regarded simple, the interpretation of laws is, in many instances, of such complexity that, apart from defence counsel, even courts are of different opinions. It is disputed wether it is a criminal act to kiss an 11 year-old girl on the mouth; whether it is theft to connect to the wifi network of someone else; whether it is forging public records to register at an address where the registrant does not, in fact, dwell.  Taking a position on individual issues is further hampered by frequent changes of criminal laws, due to which our earlier knowledge, believed to be certain, becomes dated. On basis of the new Criminal Code, for instance, a lower blood alcohol level is sufficient for drunk driving, refusing to make a witness statement has become a crime, accepting gratuity is deemed bribery in several cases. At the same time, we have more liberty to shoot a thief climbing into our garden, whereas children may be criminally responsible from a lower age. With attention to this, if you wish to gain reliable information of the criminal law consequences of your (intended) conduct, it is worth talking to an expert, i.e. a defence counsel.

If you need a criminal lawyer in budapest Hungary, please contact us using any of our contact details listed at our website.

This website is operated by the Lőrik Law Office (criminal lawyer Budapest Hungary), registered by the Bar Association of Budapest, in compliance with laws and internal regulations on the activity of lawyers. All regulations are available, with information on the rights of clients, at the following website: www.magyarugyvedikamara.hu.