How Puget Law Handles the Media and Maintains Discretion During Your Case

If reporters start calling about your criminal case, how Puget Law Group handles the media and maintains discretion during your case depends on what protects the defense at that point. Puget Law Group talks with you before responding publicly and considers how a statement could affect the case.

A Seattle criminal defense lawyer can also help you figure out what to do when a reporter contacts you directly. You do not have to make that decision while someone waits on the phone for an answer.

Some cases draw no media attention. Others put a person’s name, photograph, and charges in front of thousands of people. The response has to fit the case you are actually facing.

A Reporter Called About Your Criminal Case. Don’t Answer Yet.

If a reporter contacts you about your criminal case, you do not have to give a statement before you have spoken with your defense attorney. You could hear from a reporter shortly after an arrest, sometimes before you have had much time to process the accusation yourself.

A request for comment can feel urgent, especially when you know a story could run even if you stay silent. Puget Law Group has represented people whose cases received little public attention and clients whose cases remained in local or regional news for weeks or months.

You do not have to answer on the spot. Taking time to speak with your attorney first can keep an off-the-cuff comment from becoming part of the coverage.

Four Important Things to Do if a Reporter Contacts You

If a reporter contacts you about a pending case, the most important thing to do first is pause before answering. Puget Law Group can review the request with the criminal case in mind and help you decide what comes next.

A few practical steps can help before you respond:

• Ask who is contacting you. Get the reporter’s name, outlet, contact information, and deadline.
• Save the message. Keep the email, voicemail, text, or direct message so your attorney can review the exact request.
• Avoid discussing the evidence. Do not explain witness testimony, police reports, or your version of disputed events before speaking with counsel.
• Talk with your attorney first. A response can wait until you understand what saying something publicly could mean for the case.

Your lawyer can help decide if a response would help and what information, if any, should be shared. You do not need to improvise an answer because someone tells you a deadline is approaching.

How Does Puget Law Group Decide Whether to Respond?

Puget Law Group decides whether to respond by looking at what a public statement could mean for your defense. Before an attorney speaks publicly about your case, the firm talks with you about what is happening and what you want to accomplish.

Sometimes a short factual response can address the issue. In another case, answering questions could create material that follows you through the rest of the case. Puget Law Group does not use one response for every media inquiry.

The approach can also change as your attorney learns more about the case. A free consultation with a Seattle criminal defense attorney gives you time to ask questions before any statement goes out and talk through what reporters are asking.

Can My Criminal Defense Lawyer Talk to the Media for Me?

Your criminal defense lawyer can speak with reporters for you when doing so fits the case and stays within Washington’s rules for attorney statements. That can keep you from having to answer questions directly while your attorney decides what information should leave the defense team.

Washington lawyers also have limits on what they can say publicly about pending cases. RPC 3.6 restricts statements when an attorney knows or reasonably should know that the statement creates a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing the proceeding.

Puget Law Group’s Casey Arbenz brings experience from both prosecution and criminal defense, giving the firm another perspective when a case attracts outside attention. That background can help when a reporter is working mainly from the government’s version of what happened.

Is My Criminal Case Public Record in King County?

Parts of your criminal case can become public record in King County even if you never speak to a reporter. Washington General Rule 31 generally allows public access to court records, though some information can be restricted.

A reporter could already have the charging documents or hearing schedule before reaching out. Those records do not automatically give them access to private conversations with your attorney or other details that have never become public.

Some court records have additional limits on public access. An attorney at Puget Law Group can review what is already available in the file and explain what should stay out of interviews or public posts.

What Should I Avoid Posting on Social Media During a Criminal Case?

You should avoid posting about the allegations, the evidence, witnesses, or people connected to your criminal case while it is pending. Anything you post can be saved, shared, or shown to someone connected to the investigation.

Puget Law Group can talk with you about social media while the case is open. Even a post that seems harmless to you can look very different once someone screenshots it or shares it without the surrounding context.

If you are angry at a witness, keep that off social media. Telling someone what they should say, asking them not to show up, or pushing them to hold back information can create witness tampering issues under RCW § 9A.72.120.

What if the Story About My Case Is Wrong or One-Sided?

If the story about your case is wrong or one-sided, your attorney can review the coverage before you decide how to respond. You do not have to try to correct the story on your own.

A reporter could be working from the charging documents or from what law enforcement has released so far. At that point, your defense might not have had a chance to respond to the accusation or explain what the public has not heard yet.

Puget Law Group can help you decide what to do next without adding more attention to the story than necessary. Sometimes that means saying nothing. If a response could help, it can be kept short and focused on correcting the issue that matters.

How Does Puget Law Group Handle Media Attention in Serious Felony Cases?

Puget Law Group handles media attention in serious felony cases by coordinating the defense strategy with any decision about public statements. A serious felony case can become public very quickly, sometimes before your side of the case has been fully heard.

If reporters are following the case, your defense team can account for that while preparing for court. Media attention can affect how carefully every public statement needs to be handled.

Puget Law Group uses a felony strike team for these cases and assigns attorneys who handle the specific type of charge involved. Jared Ausserer spent nearly 20 years with the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office and served as Homicide Division Chief before moving into defense work.

Talk to Puget Law Group Before You Talk to the Press

If a reporter contacts you about a criminal case, talk with Puget Law Group before giving an interview or statement. We can look at what reporters are asking and how a response could affect the case.

Our 13-attorney team includes nine former DUI prosecutors and brings 150 years of combined experience to criminal defense. A Seattle criminal defense lawyer from Puget Law Group can help you decide how to handle outside attention as the case develops.

Contact us for a free consultation if media attention has already started or you are worried it could. We can talk through what is happening and explain how we would approach the media side of your case.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Puget Law Group cannot guarantee any particular outcome. Past results do not predict future outcomes.

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