Ask ten different lawyers this question and you’ll probably get ten different answers.   For me, the answer is, “The moment law enforcement has your case.”  For many of my consults, I tell my clients you don’t give me money unless you get a call from the police.”  Now, sometimes that answer will change if there’s a chance the police will get a warrant for my client (what we refer to as “walking a warrant”).  However, the most direct answer to this question is “the best time to get a lawyer is when the police have been brought into the mix.”   The wrong and most catastrophic answer is: “Right before trial.”