Received a criminal summons? Preparing for a legal consultation

Receiving a summons can create pressure to explain everything immediately. A useful first step is to identify the document and the capacity in which you have been summoned. This guide helps prepare a meeting with a lawyer. It does not prescribe a statement or replace assessment of the case documents.

Read the complete document

Identify the issuing authority, case reference, recipient, stated procedural capacity and appointment details. Keep the envelope or message through which it arrived and note when you received it.

An incomplete photograph can omit important instructions. If you send a copy through the agreed channel, include all pages and check legibility. Do not ignore a summons because you do not understand why you have been called.

Clarify your procedural capacity

Witnesses, suspects, defendants and injured persons occupy different positions. Rights and obligations must be explained for the particular capacity and procedural act. Romanian criminal procedure regulates the rights of suspects and defendants, including legal assistance; a rule must not automatically be applied to everyone summoned.

Tell the lawyer about earlier interviews, documents received and any measure already ordered. A description used in an informal conversation cannot replace the procedural documents.

Prepare a chronology rather than a conclusion

Record what happened and when. Distinguish personal knowledge, information in documents and accounts from others. Mark uncertainty instead of filling gaps with assumptions.

Preserve relevant documents and messages in their original form. Do not delete, alter or create material to support an account. For company matters, describe your role, responsibilities and approval process without accessing systems or documents without authority. A clear inventory lets the lawyer identify what still requires examination.

Questions for the first meeting

Focus on understanding the next step rather than seeking a promised outcome. Ask about the scope of assistance before assuming that a consultation covers attendance at a hearing.

• What does the document establish about my capacity and next step?
• Which documents are still needed?
• What would assistance at the identified procedural act involve?
• What work would the engagement cover and how are costs agreed?
• How should documents and changes to the appointment be communicated?

Flag an approaching appointment immediately

Give the date at first contact and use the office telephone when the appointment is close. A form submission does not confirm representation or round-the-clock availability. Acceptance of the engagement and its terms must be clarified.

Do not publish case details online or send sensitive documents through the public enquiry form. The first message can identify the type of document, relevant date and a contact number. Substantive information should be discussed through the channel agreed with the lawyer.

Criminal-law assistance in Bucharest

Legislative source: Romanian Criminal Procedure Code