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Making the Decision to Testify Before a Grand Jury

When you are faced with the looming threat of a grand jury investigation, you may feel pressure to testify and get your story out there. Your Sacramento criminal defense attorney will advise you that this is generally not a good idea, as prosecutors will be well-prepared, and you will not have your attorney standing by to object to unfair questions and badgering. Anything you say in the grand jury room can and will be used against you, just like anything you said subsequent to your arrest.

There may be some circumstances where it makes sense for you to testify, however. For simple “street” crimes such as assault, it may be helpful for you to testify as to a single issue, if the case depends on who struck first or what your intent was when the crime took place. It may also be useful if the prosecution has a strong case against you and you are unable to rebut their evidence and witnesses; you may find it necessary to testify as to your own actions and intent in order to put what happened according to the prosecution in a different context that explains it. Since you will generally not have a good idea of the prosecution’s evidence before the hearing, you must rely on your attorney to investigate the incident and speak to witnesses and the police, and try to find independent sources and uninvolved bystanders who can corroborate your story.

If you have more questions about whether to testify before a grand jury, contact Sacramento criminal defense attorney Param Pabla.

Client Reviews
★★★★★
“Mr. Pabla represented me with my DUI case. He has excellent communication skills and always kept me informed. Mr. Pabla made sure I understood the process and my rights. He eased my mind through a very stressful situation. I highly recommend Mr. Pabla.” Gurpreet
★★★★★
“I am so happy with the service that I received from Param S. Pabla. Jarrett did a great job solving my legal issue and I can’t recommend him enough! He was able to do everything quickly, painlessly, and was ALWAYS available to talk when I needed him. If I ever need help again, I will definitely use him!" Boris
★★★★★
“Param was excellent in my court case of failure to stop at a stop sign. The officer could not see clearly because he was too far away. The officer insisted he could and said he had video but could not produce it at the trial. The officer then asked if he could suspend the trial to go get the video but the judge said he should have had plenty of time to get the video ready beforehand. Needless to say, the judge ruled in my favor and dismissed the case which enraged the officer. Pabla Param’s defense and cross examination skills were excellent and paramount in having the case dismissed. Highly recommended.” T.C.
★★★★★
“My husband and I needed to update everything -family trust, will, medical stuff. Param was really patient -answering all my questions -even when I asked them twice. He wanted to be sure I understood everything we were doing. All docs were sent to us so we could go through them on our own time before anything was finalized. I also liked when we were looking at medical stuff that he had a conversation with me about what I wanted and pointed out some things I didn’t think of.” Debbie