Protecting Your Rights in a Maryland Child Abuse Case
When you are under investigation for any type of child abuse—physical, emotional, sexual or simply neglect—you need to be particularly careful about what you say or do, as innocent statements can be taken out of context and used against you. The most important thing you need to do when you learn that you are a target of a child abuse investigation is immediately hire knowledgeable and experienced legal counsel to protect your rights.
- Immediately hire an experienced child abuse defense attorney—You want someone who has successfully handled these types of claims before, who knows what to expect, and who can take the right steps to minimize the impact of an investigation or arrest. Your lawyer will also know the best way to investigate your case and find evidence to contradict the allegations against you.
- Don’t talk to anyone without your lawyer present—That includes police officers, detectives and anyone from the Department of Social Services. Under the U.S. Constitution, you have the right to remain silent, as well as the right to have your attorney present for any questioning.
- Don’t try to talk to the alleged victim or his/her parents—You may think it’s all a misunderstanding and that you can clear it up with a simple conversation. That doesn’t happen very often. In fact, what often happens is that you make what you think is an innocent statement that comes back to haunt you.
Proven Montgomery Child Abuse Defense Attorney
Attorney Jonathan Scott Smith has more than 40 years of experience protecting the rights of criminal defendants across the Baltimore metropolitan area and the state of Maryland, including people charged with misdemeanors or felonies. He has been received an AV-rating (the highest rating possible) under Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Rating System from his colleagues in the Maryland bar for more than three decades. He has been ranked among the top 100 lawyers in Maryland listed by SuperLawyers and was named a Top-Rated Lawyer by The American Lawyer Magazine. He has also earned Martindale-Hubbell’s Client Distinction Award, awarded to less than 4% of all lawyers nationwide.
Over the past four decades, attorney Smith has successfully protected the rights of individuals facing all types of criminal charges, including prosecution for domestic violence or abuse. He will work hard to protect your constitutional rights, fully investigating your case to verify that law enforcement officers and prosecutors follow proper procedures when gathering evidence. He’ll question all potential witnesses and preserve all relevant evidence, so that he can prepare and present the most compelling arguments for your acquittal.
Attorney Smith has been listed among the top 100 attorneys in Maryland by the National Trial Lawyers Association, a “by invitation only” professional organization. He holds a 10.0 (Superb) rating as a trial attorney from AVVO, as well as AVVO’s Client’s Choice Award, with an average client review of 5 stars.
Aggressive Maryland Child Neglect and Abuse Lawyer
Contact our office by e-mail or call 410-740-0101 for a free initial consultation. We represent criminal defendants in Carroll County, Frederick County, Howard County, Baltimore County, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County in Maryland.
In Maryland, an adult may be charged with 
Under the criminal statutes in Maryland, it is against the law to emotionally or physically abuse minors. The covered forms of abuse include improper sexual conduct. Furthermore, certain professionals and third parties, such as social workers and medical personnel, are required by law to report actual knowledge or even reasonable suspicion of child abuse.
