Can Your Hometown Attorney Protect You Anywhere in the World?
If you tend to travel a lot, then you already know that you might face all kinds of trouble when you’re abroad. That doesn’t mean that you’re going to face trouble every time you travel to a different country, but being prepared for the worst-case scenarios is a great strategy, especially if you’re visiting a new country for the first time. When it comes to legal problems outside your country, you need to get all the legal assistance you can get, which can be provided by a local attorney. However, if you already work with an attorney back in your hometown, you might want to rely on his insights rather than discussing a legal problem with a different lawyer. If you want to know whether or not you can use your attorney’s help while you’re traveling, continue reading to find out.
Do Your Research on Your Destination
It’s highly advised that you research your destination first before you actually reach it. You’re not expected to go through all their laws and regulations, but reading about penalties might present some pretty interesting information. You should also be aware of the current political environment and the legal risks that might result from getting entangled in a political situation. You should also make comparisons on how the law in that country deals with what is considered as minor penalties in your state. When travelers get into legal trouble, it is mostly because they don’t understand how severe their acts are because they are considered minor penalties where they came from.
What to Do When You’re Involved in a Car Accident
Most car accidents occur within your hometown near your house, but there are about one-quarter of car accidents that happen far away from your home. Despite how small that number is, it can be significant, especially if you’re traveling to Dallas, Texas where there are 84.75 car accidents per day. If you’re ever involved in a car accident in Dallas, you should follow the standard procedures, like checking if anyone got injured in both vehicles and getting medical assistance as soon as possible. Your next step is to consult a car accident lawyer in Dallas because even if everything is taken care of, covering yourself is an important step, especially if you were severely injured and seeking compensation. You can consult your hometown attorney as well since his professional advice on the matter will be more trustworthy than the advice of a new lawyer. However, when it comes down to filing a case and being present in court, getting a local lawyer is your best bet. Unless, of course, you can ask your hometown lawyer to be there as well.
Actions Against Foreigners
The law in most countries won’t allow the police the liberty to detain or take legal acts against foreigners, not as they would against local citizens anyway. This is not the case, however, in countries like China. If you do your research carefully before you travel there, you’ll find that foreigners may be detained or even deported if they engage in certain activities. So, if you were, for example, involved in certain religious activities that are prohibited by the law, you will be detained or deported.
If you don’t have your passport on your person, you might be taken for questioning. In cases where the law is thoroughly enforced against foreigners, your lawyer won’t have much authority over your affairs, even if he’s physically there. So, doing your research first on a country’s laws is important, so you’ll be aware of what you can and can’t do when your attorney can’t support you.
How Can Your Lawyer Help You?
If your lawyer can’t reach you where you are, then you will have to look for legal help someplace else. However, before you do just that, consider communicating over the phone with your lawyer if possible. Also, lawyers refer people all the time with their competent peers. So, if your lawyer had ever been to your destination, chances are he knows the best local lawyers there and can refer you to another trustworthy lawyer. Although you’re not going to be working with your hometown attorney, you will get the second-best thing.
In short, your hometown attorney can protect you anywhere but to some extent. It also depends on what type of penalty you have committed. Your attorney’s protection also depends on which country you’re traveling to and the type of laws there. In any case, you have to make sure that you’re communicating with your lawyer via email and/ or phone calls, so he can guide through the legal steps you take.
