A criminal case can affect your freedom, finances and reputation. Early legal advice matters because the first procedural steps often shape what can be proved later, what measures may be imposed, and what deadlines must be met.
When you learn you are involved in a criminal case
Start by clarifying your procedural position and collecting the documents you already have. In practice, the most useful first steps are:
- Identify your status: suspect, defendant, witness, injured party.
- Identify the authority: police, prosecutor’s office, DIICOT, DNA, or the court.
- Identify what the case is about: the alleged act/offence and the procedural stage.
- Organise evidence: summons, minutes, orders, correspondence, relevant documents and messages.
If you were contacted by phone, note the calling number and what was communicated (date, time, reason, who requested your presence). Keep your documents in one place and avoid improvising statements without legal guidance.
What a criminal defence lawyer does
Legal assistance begins with a preliminary assessment: review of the situation, explanation of risks, and a clear plan for the next procedural steps. The aim is to protect your rights and build a coherent defence strategy across the entire timeline of the case.
1) Assess the stage & urgency
- review summons, prosecutor’s orders and procedural acts
- map deadlines and immediate risks
- identify procedural remedies and evidence actions
2) Protect rights during investigative acts
- assistance at hearings (suspect/defendant/witness)
- presence during searches and other investigative acts
- strategy on what to file, when, and how
3) Challenge measures & manage exposure
- preventive measures (judicial control, detention, house arrest)
- conservatory measures (seizure) and proportionality
- appeals and extraordinary remedies where available
Criminal-law services provided
The law office provides assistance and representation at all stages of the criminal process, in Bucharest and nationwide.
- Criminal investigation: representation before the police and prosecutor’s office, including DIICOT and DNA; assistance for suspects, defendants and injured parties.
- Preventive measures: judicial control, 24-hour detention, house arrest, pre-trial detention.
- Searches and investigative acts: assistance during home searches, computer searches, on-site investigations and reconstructions.
- Conservatory measures: precautionary seizure and related challenges/requests.
- International procedures: European arrest warrants, extraditions, recognition of foreign criminal judgments.
- Enforcement-related procedures: judicial rehabilitation, challenge to enforcement, postponement/interruption of execution, community service substitution for fines (where applicable), instalment payment requests for criminal fines (where allowed).
- Appeals & extraordinary remedies: appeal, application for annulment, review, extraordinary appeal in cassation, and other procedures provided by criminal-procedure legislation.
Key situations where early advice is critical
In practice, timing matters most in matters involving:
- preventive measures (detention, house arrest, judicial control)
- searches and digital evidence (phones, laptops, cloud accounts)
- seizure and asset freezing
- cross-border steps (European arrest warrant, extradition, recognition of foreign judgments)
Road-traffic criminal offences: a frequent example
Romanian criminal law includes road-traffic offences such as driving without a licence (art. 335), driving under the influence (art. 336), refusing or avoiding biological sampling requested to establish alcoolemia or the presence of psychoactive substances (art. 337), and leaving the scene of an accident (art. 338).
Note: the criminal offence is linked to refusal/avoidance of biological sampling in the conditions provided by law (art. 337), not to a general “refusal of a breath test” phrasing.
Sexual offences involving minors: updated legal framework
Certain procedural rules and references to offences such as art. 218^1 and art. 219^1 were introduced/updated through legislative changes entering into force on 1 January 2024. If your case concerns these matters, the defence strategy must take into account the specific legal text applicable at the date of the alleged acts.
How to work with the law office
For a clear start, send a short description of the situation and attach the procedural documents you already have (summons, minutes, prosecutor’s orders, indictment, court documents). Consultations are by appointment.
Disclaimer: The information on this page is general and does not constitute legal advice. Each case requires individual analysis based on the documents and the legislation in force at the relevant time.