If you're teen has gotten in trouble at school and assault charges are being brought against them because of a fight that took place, you want a criminal defense attorney right away. You don't know what the other family is looking to do, and you don't want your child to face charges that will last on their record for a lifetime.

The sooner you work to get representation, the better off you'll be. Here are a few things you want to have ready when you go to meet with your lawyer, so the lawyer can properly assess the case right away.

Police or School Report

Was there a report made at the school or at the local police station? If so you want to get it and send it to your lawyer in advance, or bring it with you for your first meeting so they can see what was said about the matter. If there are things in the report that aren't true, your lawyer has to work on getting the document corrected or thrown out before your child may have to go to court in front of a judge.

Eye Witness Statements

Were there people that saw the incident take place besides your child and the other child involved? If you can have them write a statement for the school, the police, and your lawyer about what happened, that would be ideal. You'll want the lawyer to look over it before giving the statement to the police or the school to make sure that there isn't any wording or issues that could harm your case.

Any Cellular or Electronic History

Do you have copies of messages between the two kids on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media sites? Do you have emails that the two passed between each other? These are things that you want to print off and bring to the lawyer so they can see where the tension was built up, or to see who was instigating the event that took place.

You don't know if the other family is going to sue you, or if they want to file criminal charges against your child, and a criminal defense attorney can help you fight back. The lawyer may even be able to convince the other family to work things out, so you don't have to go to court. This could mean paying for medical bills and expenses, and writing an apology letter. Don't let an incident like this go without legal representation.