History Main / OnlyBadGuysCallTheirLawyers

* ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'': After Peter Parker is framed for [[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome murdering Mysterio]] he and all his loved ones are hauled in for questioning. As [[LoveInterest Michelle]] and Aunt May are taken away to be questioned individually they both tell Peter not to say anything until he gets a lawyer. During her interview Michelle calls out the agent for trying to intimidate her into speaking without counsel.

Also, the police have no power to take you to the station without arresting you; if they ask you nicely to come to the station, you can politely refuse and leave at any time, unless they decide subsequently to arrest you (i.e. they must ''expressly state'' that you are under arrest, opening themselves to a false-arrest complaint if they have no legitimate justification for doing so). If you are talking to police for any reason such as if you're a witness to a crime, or if your lawyer has advised you to answer a question, do not ever lie (just say nothing) as that will not only make you look guilty, if you are speaking to a US Federal agent, lying is actually a crime in itself.

'''This [[HollywoodLaw has no bearing on]] RealLife.''' Any law school professor can tell you that if you're arrested or the police think you committed a crime, '''''you shouldn't talk to them except to say that you won't be answering questions and to ask for a lawyer''''' (note that this doesn't mean that they're obligated to ''get'' you a lawyer — just that they can't interrogate you without one). In TV Land, only one or two crimes ever happen at the same time, while in reality, there are a lot more. You may want to help the police catch a crook, but in doing so, you may accidentally implicate yourself in another crime, ''or the same crime''.

* Thoroughly deconstructed in ''Film/MyCousinVinny'', which is often used to illustrate why you should always ask for a lawyer. [[OneDialogueTwoConversations Stan and Bill think they're getting arrested for accidentally swiping a can of tuna at a convenience store, so they're happy to talk with the police and try to explain things, when, in fact, a hold-up and murder took place shortly after they left, and witnesses said they saw a car that looked like theirs leaving the store]]. This gets them charged with murder, [[MistakenConfession because Stan's confused "I shot the clerk?" is treated as a straightforward admission of guilt]]. There's a very good reason you don't talk to law enforcement without your lawyer present, even if everyone involved is working in good faith and trying to get to justice.

This is a subtrope of ArtisticLicenseLaw. See also BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible, DontAnswerThat. Also, the typical use of the OnePhoneCall.

!!Examples:

* PlayedWith in the ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'', since Henry's an AntiHero. One of the possible routes in ''Escaping the Prison'' has Henry get a cell phone and use it to call his lawyer (Phoenix Wright himself), who will get him acquitted of the charges brought against him. Doing so nets you the 'Lame' ending. The ''Collection'' version replaces "Phoenix Wright" with "[[LawyerFriendlyCameo Felix White]]" and calls this the "Lawyered Up" ending.

* Inverted in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series, in which Wright and co. all defend the wrongly accused, and (for the most part) never defend the guilty party. On the other hand, quite a few people buy into the belief that defense attorneys are sleazeballs who only keep criminals out of jail.

In crime dramas, when someone is arrested, they are read their MirandaRights, "You have the right to remain silent.", "You have the right to an attorney.", etc. It seems, however, that all good, law-abiding citizens are willing to waive their rights and talk to the police without any qualms at all. But as soon as someone demands a lawyer, or refuses to talk without one, you know instantly that they are a sleazeball. Maybe not the one the police are actually seeking, but they are definitely someone of ill repute.

* Nick in ''Literature/GoneGirl'' is smart enough to know about this, and holds off on getting a lawyer, even when he's the main suspect for a murder he did not commit, specifically ''because'' of it. And then when he ''does'' get a lawyer, he gets one known for defending extremely guilty dirtbags.

->''"What is on Kobe's mind? Going to Colorado, around all these white people, and not bringing Johnnie Cochran? Well, then they say, 'well if you hire Johnnie Cochran, you're going to look guilty.' Yeah, but you going '''''home'''''! You want to look innocent in jail? I'd rather look guilty at the mall."''

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* Parodied in ''Fanfic/TheCoolestEvilDumbledoreEver''. When Dolores Umbridge starts asking uncomfortable questions, Arthur Weasley says he won't say anything without a lawyer. It is immediately treated as him giving his evilness away.
* Averted in ''Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies''. Officer Raincomprix repeatedly advises Adrien to contact one of his family lawyers and have them present while giving his statements, but Adrien refuses, arrogantly believing that he doesn't ''need'' a lawyer. All he needs to do is [[HonestyIsTheBestPolicy tell the truth]], right? It's only after it finally sinks in that his testimony has only made the police suspicious of him that Adrien finally asks for a lawyer, who points out just how deep a hole he dug himself into.
* ''Fanfic/{{Mortified}}'': Averted. As far as trials in the Ghost Zone go, everyone has a right to their own Advocate. Even the witnesses. In fact, it's almost legally obligated for everyone to have their own Advocate, because everyone who has a stake in the trial (including the witnesses) needs to tell their Advocate what their ideal outcome for the trial is, so their Advocate can help them prepare their testimony to help achieve that end.
* Averted in ''Fanfic/TheOllivanderChildren'' when ordinary [[{{Muggles}} Muggle]] Mark gets arrested by the Ministry of Magic after being caught in possession of Calliope's wand. Despite being an ignorant idiot at worst, the second thing he does when put on trial is to demand legal counsel since he's smart enough to realize he has no idea what he's gotten himself into. (The first is to call [[{{Jerkass}} Dolores Umbridge]] out on her conflict of interest in the case, since she arrested him in the first place.)
* {{Discussed}} in ''Fanfic/StrangeTimesAreUponUs''. Ba'wov espouses this in the opening when she and Brokosh are being interrogated by the Department of Temporal Investigations. Brokosh correctly points out that you always get a lawyer regardless of your guilt or innocence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* On ''Series/{{Baywatch}}'', when Eddie is arrested for statutory rape [[FalseRapeAccusation (wrongly, as the supposed victim lied)]], one of the cops questioning him, who happens to be a friend of his, gently tells him that he shouldn't have waived his rights to an attorney. Eddie angrily and staunchly tells him that he doesn't need one because he didn't do anything.
* Constantly on ''Series/{{Bones}}''. Even if a person isn't the killer, once they call a lawyer you can tell they're going to be bad in one way or another.
** When Booth and Bones are in New Orleans, she becomes a murder suspect. Bones, being logical, tells the police everything she knows to clear her name faster, against Booth's ''vehement'' advice. Booth, being a cop, knows her story makes her sound guilty and calls their lawyer friend to represent Bones. Their lawyer friend ''also'' tells Bones to shut up.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** Played around with in "Face Off", where a few police detectives grab Jesse for a "conversation", which is about the poisoning of his girlfriend Andrea's son Brock, and after he realizes they're fishing for evidence he asks for his attorney. They give him a momentary spiel about how there's no need since he's not actually under arrest, how lawyers will just complicate "straightening the matter out", and how it could be taken the wrong way, but he doesn't fall for it, and just calls Saul.
** In "Hermanos", Gus is called in to discuss possible involvement in [[spoiler: Gale's death.]] This could be the turning point that causes the police to discover Gus's massive drug empire, but since Gus is a VillainWithGoodPublicity who deliberately built up a good rapport with law enforcement, he doesn't call an attorney to speak with the detectives since he knows that would raise suspicions. He instead defuses the situation himself with a quiet, believable alibi.
** in "Madrigal," Mike invokes this by not bringing an attorney when he's summoned to the DEA office to be interviewed by Hank and Gomez about his potential involvement in Gus's drug operation. Before they start the questioning, Gomez asks Mike to affirm that he is waiving his right to have an attorney present, and has Mike say this directly to the video camera so that it's on the official record. Being a former cop who's conducted many interrogations himself, Mike is able to sit through the interview and doesn't crack at all, even when Hank drops the reveal that they've found out about an offshore bank account in Mike's granddaughter's name in an attempt to get Mike to let his guard down.
** In Season 5B, Skyler proves she is well acquainted with how little this trope has to do with reality when Hank tries to invoke it when asking her to give evidence against Walt. Instead of reacting as he'd hoped, she instead sees through his act of manipulation as an instant red flag that Hank isn't interested in protecting her, only in getting Walt at any cost.
* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', the prequel to ''Breaking Bad'', uses it just as well:
** It [[DiscussedTrope calls BS on this trope]] in "Uno". When the county treasurer Craig Kettleman is implicated for embezzling $1.6 million, Jimmy [=McGill=] explains that what gets innocent people wrongly convicted is they're concerned about looking guilty, but they're mistaken about what makes a person look guilty in the first place. ''Getting arrested'' is what makes people start assuming you must be guilty of something, (whether you actually are or not) not your decision to not lawyer up. Furthermore, without an attorney present, it's fairly easy for a detective to twist what you said and get you convicted even if you're innocent.
** Makes a more subtle second appearance in "Five-O", the sixth episode of the first season, when Mike is questioned by police. They do their best to convince him he doesn't need legal counsel because he isn't under arrest, and seem disappointed that as a fellow police officer he isn't willing to cooperate with them by answering questions informally. Mike, being [[TheAce Mike]], isn't fooled, and only replies with one word no matter what they say: "Lawyer." To take it a step further, he is in fact guilty of the crime they're questioning him for: the revenge-murder of the two corrupt cops who set up his son Matthew to get killed.
** Discussed again in the season 2 episode "Cobbler" when Daniel Wormald, a new-time drug dealer who's been ripped off by Nacho, calls the cops to complain about his baseball card collection being stolen, but the cops quickly suspect that he's a drug dealer and start investigating ''him'' under the guise of investigating the burglary. Mike, who had been hired by Daniel as muscle, figures this out and hires Jimmy to be Daniel's attorney. The cops are openly suspicious that a man who ''called'' the cops has an attorney present during questioning. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaHNB7DUm8g Jimmy ultimately has to come up with an outlandish justification]] for why the dealer is so protective of his privacy to throw the cops off the trail.
* Very prevalent in ''Series/{{Castle}}''. If a suspect is the least bit law-savvy, the characters will state among themselves, "He's lawyering up." and treat it as the worst thing in the world that he is even allowed to do this.
** But also subverted because people who lawyer up turn out to be innocent about half the time.
** It's subverted another way in 'Hedgefund Home Boys' when the character who is guilty explicitly refuses a lawyer because he thinks he's completely untouchable. This backfires spectacularly when [[spoiler:Castle tricks him into admitting his guilt]].
** One episode played with this, where a well-to-do woman brought in for questioning (and not even as a suspect) comes in with about a dozen lawyers. In this case, though, it wasn't used to make her look guilty, but to make her look like a RichBitch who felt she was above such petty concerns as law or justice.
** In one episode, a dominatrix is thought to be a murderer because she asks for a lawyer in the middle of questioning. When she turns out to be innocent, it's decided that she insisted on a lawyer simply to be unhelpful in a show of dominance...and because she was a former lawyer herself.
*** At another point in the same episode, she pointed out that due to [=NDAs=] with her clients, she couldn't share their names without a warrant. She wasn't trying to be unhelpful (and said as much), she just knew that if she didn't she could easily be sued by her clients (who, in turn, could be ruined by revelations of visiting her). Very much SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome.
** Castle himself lawyered up [[OneOfOurOwn when he was framed for a murder]]. Not immediately, because he really ''could'' be sure that the police wanted to help him, but when the evidence really started to mount, he didn't hesitate.
* Happens occasionally on ''Series/TheCloser''. Brenda's expert interrogation techniques include getting the suspect to waive their rights to counsel, and sometimes she invokes this trope to get them to do so, basically telling them that there's no need for them to call a lawyer, that all it will do is make them look more guilty and as long as they don't have anything to hide it's easier for everybody if they just talk to her without a lawyer present. Usually it works, even though [[BlatantLies she's pretty much bullshitting them]].
* ''Series/ColdCase'':
** A man being relentlessly interrogated by Stillman asks for a lawyer, who coldly dismisses the request--"Why? Did you do something wrong?" When the man says "No, but--", Stillman cuts him off and continues badgering him. Another episode has them dragging in a suspect, who immediately asks for a lawyer. When the detectives attempt to begin interrogating him, the man staunchly repeats his request and turns away, making it clear that he will not say a word until his attorney arrives.
** Another suspect didn't hire a lawyer, but he refused to speak with the police or otherwise cooperate with them, also refusing to take a DNA test. Both of which are well within his rights (unless they have probable cause to compel the test), but Vera took this as definitive proof of his guilt and as such, relentlessly hounded the man until the DA needed to warn him to back off.
** In yet another episode, the ex-lover of a murder suspect believes him to be guilty because of how fast he hired a lawyer, clearly believing in this trope. [[spoiler: And given that he turned out to be guilty, it's played straight]]. Ironically, it's the detective questioning her who tells her that that's actually the smart thing to do.
* Sort-of-inverted in the second ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' episode. After being informed that the suspect won't talk and he has a lawyer, Holmes says that's astute of him, ''because'' he's innocent. Apart from this, no one on the show lawyers up, guilty or no. Richer suspects do sometimes arrive with legal representation already in tow, but they tend to get in one or two lines at most before Sherlock explains why their presence is irrelevant.
* ''Series/ColdSquad'':
** {{Exploited|Trope}} in "Personal Politics": the suspect asks to speak with his lawyer, but the detectives say that there's no need to get a lawyer involved, they just need him to explain his alibi. Wanting to appear helpful, he does so -- and then the detectives immediately tear the alibi apart, having previously questioned the other people involved, and merely needing him to either confess or get caught in an obvious lie.
** In "All in the Family," the fact that a suspect not only got a lawyer but got an ''expensive'' lawyer, provides a clue that he's guilty of more than the police knew about.
* Inverted on ''Series/CornerGas'', where Davis thinks someone he's arrested is suspicious because he ''doesn't'' ask for a lawyer. It turns out that the reason he didn't ask is that he is one.
* ''Series/CriminalMinds'':
** This is done quite often on the show, with the agents using the ploy of "if you help me solve the case (by confessing), I'll get you a deal with the DA". "Lawyering up" is seen as the worst thing that can happen to the case, since when it does, the interrogation stops and the suspect can walk free. The most notable example of a suspect walking after "lawyering up" is "Aftermath", when Elle Greenaway botches an undercover operation by going after the [=UnSub=] too early in the operation, allowing him to lawyer up and walk out a free man. [[spoiler:Greenaway would later find him and shoot him dead, leading to her eventual release from the team.]]
** Subverted in season 11 episode "Internal Affairs", it's not the suspect threatening to get her lawyer husband that makes her guilty. It's that she never carries out with the threat that makes the BAU realize that if he found out that she was arrested, he would know she is guilty.
** Averted when [[spoiler:Hotch]] is arrested by InternalAffairs and threatens to ask for a lawyer unless the case against him is explained. The interviewer tries to invoke this by saying that only guilty people call their lawyers, to which [[spoiler:Hotch]] replies "No, smart people do".
* In the season 5 finale of ''Series/{{Dexter}}'', the other characters (all police officers) treat Detective Quinn this way when he requests to speak with an attorney when it's likely that he might be implicated in a crime that he didn't actually commit.
* This is commonly averted on ''Series/HarrysLaw''; the suspects in violent crimes who hire Harry are almost always innocent or in a moral grey area.
* Generally averted on ''Series/HillStreetBlues'', as one of the main characters is a Public Defender. In fact, Captain Furillo sometimes uses the fact a particular suspect has asked for a lawyer to his advantage; since they're refusing to speak to the police until they have counsel, they've no excuse not to keep their mouths shut and listen while he delivers a few hard truths about how much trouble they're in.
* Subverted in ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet''. The "Documentary" Episode discussed this at length by implying that it is only natural for a man, even an innocent one, who has been arrested, accused of a violent crime, dealing with hostile or indifferent officers, and generally terrified, to ask for an attorney. They also show that the reason many criminals don't ask for Legal Aid is that they fear being charged without saying their piece or offering an explanation.
** They further clarify that the only smart move is to shut up and ask for a lawyer. "Look, Bunkie. Talking to a police detective is only going to hurt you". The full clip can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DH4FdxKCNg here]].
* ''Series/HotelBeauSejour'': Out of all the police interrogations depicted in the show, the only character to request a lawyer was Varderkerk, a notorious drug dealer. (He was innocent of the murder in question but wanted to conceal his drug business.)
* ''Series/LasVegas'':
** Played straight in an episode when Danny [=McCoy=], a casino security expert, is falsely being accused of sexual harassment.
** Played with when Danny catches MIT computer experts hacking into the Montecito, when they ask for a lawyer (knowing he's not a cop, strangely) he resorts to claiming the case is now out of their hands and Homeland Security take over, leading to them admitting they wanted to get into the signage to slag off Cal Tech.
* ''Series/LawAndOrder'': There's about a 50/50 chance that someone who declines a lawyer and says "I've got nothing to hide" is implied to be bluffing. Averted and played straight at the same time in one episode. The police have a list of suspects that they want to get blood samples from. Everyone agrees except one guy, who is promptly arrested as no one else matched and immediately asks for his lawyer and it goes to trial. Later, it turns out he was completely innocent and just thought the taking of his blood was an unnecessary intrusion on his privacy. When he asks [=McCoy=] for an apology, [=McCoy=] refuses, and chastises ''him'' for wasting their time! Probably HollywoodLaw, as they require probable cause to compel a blood sample or bring someone to trial. He's totally right — if they don't have it, they ''are'' intruding.
* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'':
** Subverted in an episode when a murderer makes a full confession without his lawyer present, only to later [[spoiler:have the whole thing thrown out because he offhandedly mentioned said lawyer, which he claims constituted a request. [[HollywoodLaw The judge actually buys it.]]]]
** But yet another episode (and probably countless more) has Stabler browbeating a man into continuing the interrogation despite the fact that he's asked for a lawyer and also asked to leave (which he's allowed to do if he's not under arrest). When the confession is promptly thrown out because of this, [[NeverMyFault Stabler takes no responsibility]], instead blaming Alex for the screw-up.
*** In fact, Stabler is practically the poster child for why you ''should'' lawyer up and not say anything other than "I want a lawyer" until you get one. In real life, any halfway-competent defense attorney could have most cases Stabler is involved in thrown out of court because of precisely this tendency of his. But police actually following real-life procedures doesn't make for dramatic TV.
** Deconstructed in a later episode when Rollins was framed for a murder. Despite her captain's advice she refused to lawyer up, claiming she did nothing wrong and tried to be as helpful as possible, being completely honest and even bringing new evidence to the InternalAffairs. She ended up inadvertently implicating herself and got arrested for her trouble. Being a detective herself, she should've known better. On the other hand, she didn't expect for [[spoiler:her own sister]] to set her up. Thankfully, her coworkers managed to trick the guilty party into confessing of the frame up.
* ''Series/LukeCage2016'': The first season frequently features police officers ignoring or resisting suspects' right to an attorney.
** Candace gives a false witness account to Misty on behalf of Mariah. Mariah does send Benjamin Donovan to Candace to make sure her story stays straight, but Misty tries to pressure her into ignoring the lawyer's advice and coming clean.
** Luke consistently rejects the idea of having a lawyer until the last moments of the series. He claims that since he's innocent, he doesn't need a lawyer, even though Claire keeps insisting that [[Series/Daredevil2015 she knows a good one]]. He finally relents when he is arrested for [[spoiler:illegally escaping from Seagate (where he was imprisoned for a crime he was framed for)]], a crime he ''did'' commit.
** Shades, a career criminal, spends his entire time while under arrest requesting a lawyer. Inspector Ridley continues to question him without a lawyer present, even though his testimony would be invalid at this point. Despite her best efforts to intimidate him with the ''long'' jail time he's looking at, he refuses to crack and even trolls her a little.
** After Diamondback kills a police officer to implicate Luke as a CopKiller, some cops pick up Lonnie, a kid that knows Luke. The boy immediately demands that his mother, who is in law school, be present. Unfortunately, tensions are high, Luke is believed to have killed one cop and assaulted two others (and the dead cop happens to be the interrogator's former training officer), and Lonnie has a bit of an attitude, causing the interrogator to eventually lose his temper and take it out on Lonnie.
* In ''Series/MadamSecretary'', Elizabeth [=McCord=] is facing possible charges of violating the Espionage Act. At the suggestion of getting a lawyer, she answers, "I don't want a lawyer. It'll make it look like I need a lawyer." Still wrong, but a {{justified}} attitude in this case due to the realities of ''politics'': as she's the Secretary of State and a longtime friend and coworker of President Dalton, her looking guilty would reflect badly on him as well.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Motive}}'', the homicide detective protagonists respect defence attorneys as an important part of the justice system (it's a [[CanadaEh Canadian]] show), and often encourage people they suspect may be innocent or have extenuating circumstances to get lawyers. In one episode, they are visibly disgusted by a public defender who encourages his client to plead guilty despite minimal evidence, and his explanation that he believes his client is guilty and he's just trying to "help [them] out", even giving the suspect contact information for a non-profit that can provide better representation.
* Zigzagged in ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', lawyering up happens all the time, and if it does the one doing it is just as likely to be completely innocent as they are guilty of something.
* ''Series/NYPDBlue'':
** The detectives (or at least one of them) would regularly play good cop on a perp, saying he should confess and he'll get a lighter sentence, etc. They'd do practically anything to keep someone from calling his lawyer.
--->'''Perp:''' I know my rights. I want a lawyer.\\
'''Detective:''' Oh, now, you don't want to do that. If you call a lawyer I can't help you.
** When the detectives want to interview somebody who is not a direct suspect (at least not yet), and this person refuses to talk to them without a lawyer present, it is viewed as a huge irritation. Persons doing this are usually portrayed in quite an unsympathetic light (which is only partly justified by the story being told from the detectives' point of view).
* ''Series/OneLifeToLive''. When gang-rape leader Todd Manning attacks his victim Marty again, her friend Luna happens upon the scene and hits him over the head with a pipe. Unfortunately, when giving their statement to the cops, everything they say is misinterpreted and the cops are left with the impression that Luna was acting like a vigilante rather than defending her friend. Her fiancé is horrified to realize that she talked to the police without a lawyer, but she insists, "I didn't have anything to hide!"
* ''Series/ThePeopleVOJSimpson'': When OJ returns home to the scene of the crime, Robert Kardashian tells him he shouldn't talk to the police without a lawyer, but OJ goes along for an interview on the basis that it will make him look guilty if he brings a lawyer.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest''. A variation in "Reasonable Doubt" when a former prosecutor doesn't call for a lawyer after being framed for murder, but that's only so she can find out what the evidence is against her when the police lay it out during her interrogation. She then calls for a female lawyer of similar build, knocks her out and leaves the police station wearing her clothes.
* Averted in the 1990's Australian TV cop series ''Series/{{Phoenix}}'' and its LawProcedural spin-off, ''Janus''. Although the police detectives despise barrister Michael Kidd for successfully defending the cop-killing Hennessy family, the main detective protagonist doesn't hesitate to recommend Kidd to a fellow officer who'd been falsely accused of police brutality.
* ''Series/TheProfessionals''. In "The Rack", a court of enquiry is being held into the death of a suspect in [=CI5=] custody. When George Cowley is asked who he wants as counsel to represent [=CI5=]'s side, he replies thus:
-->'''Cowley:''' Counsel? My God, ''I'' founded this organisation; ''I'' will answer for it!
* ''Series/ThePunisher2017'': Billy Russo is asked by Dinah to come down for questioning, as she's figured out that [[spoiler:he killed Sam Stein]]. Though this trope is more a sign of Billy's confidence that Dinah doesn't have any evidence on him.
-->'''Dinah Madani:''' I thought you'd be accompanied by counsel.\\
'''Billy Russo:''' Why? Lawyers are for the guilty.
* Generally averted on ''Series/TheRockfordFiles.'' Jim Rockford, the clear hero, would always immediately request to speak to an attorney after being arrested. Conversely, total sleazeball Angel Martin always tried to talk immediately.
* One ''Series/{{Shark}}'' episode featured a serial killer named Wayne Callison dismissing his lawyer and making his own defense against five murder charges and an attempted murder. Prosecutor Sebastian Stark feared having no lawyer would help Callison look innocent.
* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': Subverted in "Terra Prime". When Gannet is accused of being TheMole for Terra Prime and her alibi falls apart, she clams up and demands a lawyer, to which the ''Enterprise'' crew throw up their hands in dismay -- they obviously think she's stalling for time. [[spoiler:It turns out that she ''is'' a mole, but she's actually working for Starfleet Intelligence, not Terra Prime]].
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Averted in "Non Sequitur". When Harry Kim realises he's suspected of treason, he refuses to continue without legal counsel. This is likely a ContinuityNod to TNG's "The Drumhead", which had AnAesop about the subject of legal rights.
* In an episode of ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt'', a horror writer is arrested near the scene of a grisly murder. He considers calling a lawyer but decides against it because he believes it'll make him look guilty. Deconstructed when it turns out he is innocent and [[spoiler:the detective is the killer]], but without a lawyer to protect him, he's browbeaten into giving a confession and ends up on death row.
* Frequently done on ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger''. Even with hard-core criminals who usually know to keep their mouths shut and ask for an attorney. Asking for one immediately makes someone look like an unrepentant sleazeball hiding behind [[AmoralAttorney an equally sleazy attorney]]. To make matters worse, it's usually Alex, a prosecutor who is ''not allowed'' to lie to a suspect, who is seen doing something very similar to the NYPD example posted above--telling them that if they ask for a lawyer, all chances of a deal are gone. On the show, this always makes the criminal quickly agree to cooperate. In RealLife, this is flat-out unethical conduct that would result in her being​ reprimanded.
** Another especially bad example involves a bratty kid demanding a lawyer before he talks to the cops. His father refuses and basically threatens to beat the crap out of him if he doesn't tell the cops what he knows. The Rangers stand there looking downright smug and amused at the whole thing. Never mind that they just violated the rights of someone who, as rude as he is, explicitly asked for an attorney. In RealLife, after that, anything he said would almost certainly be inadmissible in court.
** In another episode, two rangers, Sydney and Gage arrive at someone's home to ask if his brother (their murder suspect) is there. The man says no and tries to close the door on them, only for Gage to push it open and force his way into the apartment--without a warrant, and against the man's clearly expressed refusal to let them in.
** This trope is applied so frequently that when Alex herself is a murder suspect, she talks to the cops and assistant DA without an attorney. As a lawyer herself, she should know how stupid this is--her own father, also an attorney, practically gives her a DopeSlap about this.
* ''Series/WithoutATrace'' had an innocent man confess to a crime after hours of PerpSweating; Viv suggested he might be innocent because he didn't ask for his lawyer during that whole time.
[[/folder]]

* [[InvokedTrope Deliberately used]] as a RedHerring in one of the ''Videogame/EagleEyeMysteries'' challenge cases where one of the suspects is uncooperative and demands a lawyer. If you accuse her of the crime, her careful explanation of innocence assumes that you did so primarily because of that reason.
* PlayedWith in the ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'', since Henry's an AntiHero. One of the possible routes in ''Escaping the Prison'' has Henry get a cell phone and use it to call his lawyer (Phoenix Wright himself), who will get him acquitted of the charges brought against him. Doing so nets you the 'Lame' ending. The ''Collection'' version replaces "Phoenix Wright" with "[[LawyerFriendlyCameo Felix White]]" and calls this the "Lawyered Up" ending.
* ''VideoGame/MadWorld'': When Jack confronts [[spoiler:Leo Fallmont, the mastermind behind the Deathwatch games]], he tries to ask for a lawyer. Jack chainsaws him off a skyscraper.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/WhosLila'', where the true killer of Tanya Kennedy, [[spoiler:the titular Lila]], is perfectly willing to talk to the police without a lawyer, confident that they can smooth talk their way out of it. Whether the culprit succeeds depends on the player's actions.

* In ''Webcomic/BloodAndSmoke'', Carson's partner evokes this trope during a conversation. [[spoiler:Turns out the trope is averted as the suspect discussed isn't guilty]].

--> '''Tom:''' Here's what I've learned watching that show, okay? [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Lawyer. Up.]] You can't handle that shit. Everybody's like "I'm gonna talk to the cops and straighten this whole thing out!" [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome You're gonna do 25 to life, have fun with that, man.]] Nobody asks for a lawyer. I've seen three-''hundred'' people get interrogated on this show; ''two'' of them were like "Can I talk to a lawyer?" and both times the detectives were like [[PrecisionFStrike "Fuck!"]]

* ''Film/TheTown'': Agent Adam Frawley claims this to be true when Claire Keesey (who doesn't know her new boyfriend is a high-profile robber) asks him whether or not she should have a lawyer present. Though he prefaces it by saying "it isn't a very civil libertarian thing" for him to say, as he's a cop. When Claire is later implicated in Doug's crimes, he says that this time she really will need a lawyer.

* ''Film/BasicInstinct'': As the cops prepare to take Catherine to the station for questioning, she is asked several times if she wants an attorney present. She brushes off the suggestion, saying she doesn't need one. Earlier, she refuses to come to the station with them, knowing that she doesn't have to unless she's under arrest. It's clear that she's guilty as sin, she's just flaunting her ability to get away with it.
* ''Film/TheClient''. When the eponymous client, 11 year-old Mark Sway, is being interrogated by prosecuting attorney Roy Foltrigg and his team, he asks if he needs one and they respond with this trope. He asks to use the lavatory and Roy assumes he's going to fold, only then Mark's lawyer Reggie comes in with a recording of them telling Mark he doesn't need a lawyer or his mother present, both of which are violations of his rights. Given that Creator/JohnGrisham is a former attorney, it's hardly surprising it's an AvertedTrope.

* In Creator/DavidSimon's nonfiction work ''Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets'', upon which the [[Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet TV series of the same name is based]], the trope is deconstructed. The police's main tactic in solving cases boils down to: convince the perp not to call his lawyer, then [[LyingToThePerp lie to him about the evidence you don't have]], and threaten him with a hardass prosecutor if he doesn't confess. At one point, a notably [[StupidEvil stupid suspect is convinced]] that beating a woman into unconsciousness and raping her was okay because he didn't strike the fatal blow, even thinking[[note]]after he takes the police to all the evidence that can make the case truly ironclad, including retrieving the victim's jewelry he'd stashed with his younger brother, who ''warns him how dumb he's being''[[/note]] that he'll get a ride home. The police derive immense satisfaction from his crestfallen demeanor when the penny drops. Unfortunately, as good as this tactic is for putting down the low-level drug murders that make up the shift's bread-and-butter, it doesn't work a damn on the real players, who know exactly what to do. It's probably also worth noting it's a great way to get innocent people to confess to crimes they didn't commit.
-->'''Interrogator''': (sits down) Anything to say this time, Dennis?\\
'''Perp''': No sir, just want my lawyer.\\
'''Interrogator''': Fine, Dennis. (leaves)
** Noted in a discussion with the detectives themselves, who can't believe that anyone ever does ANYTHING in the box other than ask for a lawyer and shut their mouths.

* Semi-played straight in Literature/{{Discworld}} in general, but rather justified given the corrupt pre-Victorian justice system. In this case it's sort of a correlation =/= causation thing; the bad guys who ask for lawyers aren't asking for lawyers because they're bad guys, they're asking for lawyers because they have a tendency to be rich and think of themselves as above the law anyway, and they're usually asking for Mr. Slant, who is well known to be morally dubious at best anyway. Poor criminals have a tendency to not trust lawyers any more than Vimes does (of course, they also tend to be repeat offenders of much more minor crimes, with whom the Watch has an almost friendly relationship and not the actual bad guys). It also helps that if you're an innocent man, Commander Vimes genuinely is your best hope in the world of going free. Insomuch as an Aesop can be gleaned from Discworld, it seems to be that "[[AristocratsAreEvil if you're rich enough to afford a lawyer to begin with, you're that much more likely to be enough of a scumbag to abuse the privilege]]".

* A {{lampshade|Hanging}}d aversion in Creator/NealStephenson’s ''Literature/{{Cryptonomicon}}'': Randy “wondered whether it would be a bad idea, from a narrowly tactical standpoint, to ask for a lawyer so soon” after customs discover the drugs that were planted in his luggage.
* In ''Literature/{{Crescendo}}'', when Scott is arrested for breaking into Nora's house (granted, after [[spoiler:she stole something from him and refused to return it]]), and ''the cop who arrests him'' says that Scott sounds guilty because he asks for a lawyer. [[spoiler:Apparently angels posing as detectives don't fuss too much with mortal laws.]]
* In ''Literature/TheWestingGame'', after [[spoiler:Turtle sets off a bomb in an elevator]], her mother tries to get her to profess her innocence. [[spoiler:Turtle]] saying "I want a lawyer" is treated as all that needs to be said to seal any doubts on her guilt. Zigzagged in that while she did [[spoiler:set off that particular bomb, she ''wasn't'' responsible for the others. Her sister, Angela, set them off, and [[TakingTheHeat Turtle took the blame for them]]]]. Further subverted in that [[spoiler:when Judge Ford talks to Turtle, after the explosion, she figures out pretty quickly that Turtle was covering for Angela, and thus just lets her off with a warning]].

* ''Literature/TheDemolishedMan'': The murderer Ben Reich calls his lawyer the instant the body is discovered at the party he's attending. The detective tells him openly that the fact that he's the only guest to call his lawyer immediately makes him the prime suspect.
* ''Literature/DeadEndJobMysteries'': More than once in the series, Helen or a friend or coworker of hers wants to call their lawyer (and they do), and the police immediately claim this as reason to be suspicious of them. Book 7 has a very specific lawyer show up to help Helen (who's been accused of murdering her ex-husband Rob after he faked his own murder to get away from his new "wife", who'd sent the lawyer in question), and the cops make it clear that they consider this particular lawyer arriving to be proof positive of Helen's guilt, due to his reputation for defending the obviously guilty.

* ''Series/LawAndOrder'': There's about a 50/50 chance that someone who declines a lawyer and says "I've got nothing to hide" is implied to be bluffing. Averted and played straight at the same time in one episode. The police have a list of suspects that they want to get blood samples from. Everyone agrees except one guy, who is promptly arrested as no one else matched and immediately asks for his lawyer and it goes to trial. Later, it turns out he was completely innocent and just thought the taking of his blood was an unnecessary intrusion on his privacy. When he asks [=McCoy=] for an apology, [=McCoy=] refuses, and chastises ''him'' for wasting their time! Probably HollywoodLaw, as they require probable cause to compel a blood sample or bring someone to trial. He's totally right — if they don't have it, they ''are'' intruding.
* ''Series/CriminalMinds''
** This is done quite often on the show, with the agents using the ploy of "if you help me solve the case (by confessing), I'll get you a deal with the DA". "Lawyering up" is seen as the worst thing that can happen to the case, since when it does, the interrogation stops and the suspect can walk free. The most notable example of a suspect walking after "lawyering up" is "Aftermath", when Elle Greenaway botches an undercover operation by going after the [=UnSub=] too early in the operation, allowing him to lawyer up and walk out a free man. [[spoiler:Greenaway would later find him and shoot him dead, leading to her eventual release from the team.]]
** Subverted in season 11 episode "Internal Affairs", it's not the suspect threatening to get her lawyer husband that makes her guilty. It's that she never carries out with the threat that makes the BAU realize that if he found out that she was arrested, he would know she is guilty.
** Averted when [[spoiler:Hotch]] is arrested by InternalAffairs and threatens to ask for a lawyer unless the case against him is explained. The interviewer tries to invoke this by saying that only guilty people call their lawyers, to which [[spoiler:Hotch]] replies "No, smart people do".
* ''Series/NYPDBlue''
** The detectives (or at least one of them) would regularly play good cop on a perp, saying he should confess and he'll get a lighter sentence, etc. They'd do practically anything to keep someone from calling his lawyer.
--->'''Perp:''' I know my rights. I want a lawyer.\\
'''Detective:''' Oh, now, you don't want to do that. If you call a lawyer I can't help you.
** When the detectives want to interview somebody who is not a direct suspect (at least not yet), and this person refuses to talk to them without a lawyer present, it is viewed as a huge irritation. Persons doing this are usually portrayed in quite an unsympathetic light (which is only partly justified by the story being told from the detectives' point of view).
* ''Series/LasVegas'':
** Played straight in an episode when Danny [=McCoy=], a casino security expert, is falsely being accused of sexual harassment.
** Played with when Danny catches MIT computer experts hacking into the Montecito, when they ask for a lawyer (knowing he's not a cop, strangely) he resorts to claiming the case is now out of their hands and Homeland Security take over, leading to them admitting they wanted to get into the signage to slag off Cal Tech.
* Generally averted on ''Series/TheRockfordFiles.'' Jim Rockford, the clear hero, would always immediately request to speak to an attorney after being arrested. Conversely, total sleazeball Angel Martin always tried to talk immediately.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'':
** Subverted in an episode when a murderer makes a full confession without his lawyer present, only to later [[spoiler:have the whole thing thrown out because he offhandedly mentioned said lawyer, which he claims constituted a request. [[HollywoodLaw The judge actually buys it.]]]]
** But yet another episode (and probably countless more) has Stabler browbeating a man into continuing the interrogation despite the fact that he's asked for a lawyer and also asked to leave (which he's allowed to do if he's not under arrest). When the confession is promptly thrown out because of this, [[NeverMyFault Stabler takes no responsibility]], instead blaming Alex for the screw-up.
*** In fact, Stabler is practically the poster child for why you ''should'' lawyer up and not say anything other than "I want a lawyer" until you get one. In real life, any halfway-competent defense attorney could have most cases Stabler is involved in thrown out of court because of precisely this tendency of his. But police actually following real-life procedures doesn't make for dramatic TV.
** Deconstructed in a later episode when Rollins was framed for a murder. Despite her captain's advice she refused to lawyer up, claiming she did nothing wrong and tried to be as helpful as possible, being completely honest and even bringing new evidence to the InternalAffairs. She ended up inadvertently implicating herself and got arrested for her trouble. Being a detective herself, she should've known better. On the other hand, she didn't expect for [[spoiler:her own sister]] to set her up. Thankfully, her coworkers managed to trick the guilty party into confessing of the frame up.
* ''Series/WithoutATrace'' had an innocent man confess to a crime after hours of PerpSweating; Viv suggested he might be innocent because he didn't ask for his lawyer during that whole time.

** They further claify that the only smart move is to shut up and ask for a lawyer. "Look, Bunkie. Talking to a police detective is only going to hurt you". The full clip can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DH4FdxKCNg here]].

* ''Series/ColdSquad'':
** {{Exploited|Trope}} in "Personal Politics": the suspect asks to speak with his lawyer, but the detectives say that there's no need to get a lawyer involved, they just need him to explain his alibi. Wanting to appear helpful, he does so -- and then the detectives immediately tear the alibi apart, having previously questioned the other people involved, and merely needing him to either confess or get caught in an obvious lie.
** In "All in the Family," the fact that a suspect not only got a lawyer but got an ''expensive'' lawyer, provides a clue that he's guilty of more than the police knew about.
* This is commonly averted on ''Series/HarrysLaw''; the suspects in violent crimes who hire Harry are almost always innocent or in a moral grey area.
* Happens occasionally on ''Series/TheCloser''. Brenda's expert interrogation techniques include getting the suspect to waive their rights to counsel, and sometimes she invokes this trope to get them to do so, basically telling them that there's no need for them to call a lawyer, that all it will do is make them look more guilty and as long as they don't have anything to hide it's easier for everybody if they just talk to her without a lawyer present. Usually it works, even though [[BlatantLies she's pretty much bullshitting them]].

* ''Series/ColdCase'':
** A man being relentlessly interrogated by Stillman asks for a lawyer, who coldly dismisses the request--"Why? Did you do something wrong?" When the man says "No, but--", Stillman cuts him off and continues badgering him. Another episode has them dragging in a suspect, who immediately asks for a lawyer. When the detectives attempt to begin interrogating him, the man staunchly repeats his request and turns away, making it clear that he will not say a word until his attorney arrives.
** Another suspect didn't hire a lawyer, but he refused to speak with the police or otherwise cooperate with them, also refusing to take a DNA test. Both of which are well within his rights (unless they have probable cause to compel the test), but Vera took this as definitive proof of his guilt and as such, relentlessly hounded the man until the DA needed to warn him to back off.
** In yet another episode, the ex-lover of a murder suspect believes him to be guilty because of how fast he hired a lawyer, clearly believing in this trope. [[spoiler: And given that he turned out to be guilty, it's played straight]]. Ironically, it's the detective questioning her who tells her that that's actually the smart thing to do.
* Sort-of-inverted in the second ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' episode. After being informed that the suspect won't talk and he has a lawyer, Holmes says that's astute of him, ''because'' he's innocent. Apart from this, no one on the show lawyers up, guilty or no. Richer suspects do sometimes arrive with legal representation already in tow, but they tend to get in one or two lines at most before Sherlock explains why their presence is irrelevant.
* Averted in the 1990's Australian TV cop series ''Series/{{Phoenix}}'' and its LawProcedural spin-off, ''Janus''. Although the police detectives despise barrister Michael Kidd for successfully defending the cop-killing Hennessy family, the main detective protagonist doesn't hesitate to recommend Kidd to a fellow officer who'd been falsely accused of police brutality.
* Zigzagged in ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', lawyering up happens all the time, and if it does the one doing it is just as likely to be completely innocent as they are guilty of something.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** Played around with in "Face Off", where a few police detectives grab Jesse for a "conversation", which is about the poisoning of his girlfriend Andrea's son Brock, and after he realizes they're fishing for evidence he asks for his attorney. They give him a momentary spiel about how there's no need since he's not actually under arrest, how lawyers will just complicate "straightening the matter out", and how it could be taken the wrong way, but he doesn't fall for it, and just calls Saul.
** In "Hermanos", Gus is called in to discuss possible involvement in [[spoiler: Gale's death.]] This could be the turning point that causes the police to discover Gus's massive drug empire, but since Gus is a VillainWithGoodPublicity who deliberately built up a good rapport with law enforcement, he doesn't call an attorney to speak with the detectives since he knows that would raise suspicions. He instead defuses the situation himself with a quiet, believable alibi.
** in "Madrigal," Mike invokes this by not bringing an attorney when he's summoned to the DEA office to be interviewed by Hank and Gomez about his potential involvement in Gus's drug operation. Before they start the questioning, Gomez asks Mike to affirm that he is waiving his right to have an attorney present, and has Mike say this directly to the video camera so that it's on the official record. Being a former cop who's conducted many interrogations himself, Mike is able to sit through the interview and doesn't crack at all, even when Hank drops the reveal that they've found out about an offshore bank account in Mike's granddaughter's name in an attempt to get Mike to let his guard down.
** In Season 5B, Skyler proves she is well acquainted with how little this trope has to do with reality when Hank tries to invoke it when asking her to give evidence against Walt. Instead of reacting as he'd hoped, she instead sees through his act of manipulation as an instant red flag that Hank isn't interested in protecting her, only in getting Walt at any cost.
* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', the prequel to ''Breaking Bad'', uses it just as well:
** It [[DiscussedTrope calls BS on this trope]] in "Uno". When the county treasurer Craig Kettleman is implicated for embezzling $1.6 million, Jimmy [=McGill=] explains that what gets innocent people wrongly convicted is they're concerned about looking guilty, but they're mistaken about what makes a person look guilty in the first place. ''Getting arrested'' is what makes people start assuming you must be guilty of something, (whether you actually are or not) not your decision to not lawyer up. Furthermore, without an attorney present, it's fairly easy for a detective to twist what you said and get you convicted even if you're innocent.
** Makes a more subtle second appearance in "Five-O", the sixth episode of the first season, when Mike is questioned by police. They do their best to convince him he doesn't need legal counsel because he isn't under arrest, and seem disappointed that as a fellow police officer he isn't willing to cooperate with them by answering questions informally. Mike, being [[TheAce Mike]], isn't fooled, and only replies with one word no matter what they say: "Lawyer." To take it a step further, he is in fact guilty of the crime they're questioning him for: the revenge-murder of the two corrupt cops who set up his son Matthew to get killed.
** Discussed again in the season 2 episode "Cobbler" when Daniel Wormald, a new-time drug dealer who's been ripped off by Nacho, calls the cops to complain about his baseball card collection being stolen, but the cops quickly suspect that he's a drug dealer and start investigating ''him'' under the guise of investigating the burglary. Mike, who had been hired by Daniel as muscle, figures this out and hires Jimmy to be Daniel's attorney. The cops are openly suspicious that a man who ''called'' the cops has an attorney present during questioning. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaHNB7DUm8g Jimmy ultimately has to come up with an outlandish justification]] for why the dealer is so protective of his privacy to throw the cops off the trail.
* In ''Series/MadamSecretary'', Elizabeth [=McCord=] is facing possible charges of violating the Espionage Act. At the suggestion of getting a lawyer, she answers, "I don't want a lawyer. It'll make it look like I need a lawyer." Still wrong, but a {{justified}} attitude in this case due to the realities of ''politics'': as she's the Secretary of State and a longtime friend and coworker of President Dalton, her looking guilty would reflect badly on him as well.
* In an episode of ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt'', a horror writer is arrested near the scene of a grisly murder. He considers calling a lawyer but decides against it because he believes it'll make him look guilty. Deconstructed when it turns out he is innocent and [[spoiler:the detective is the killer]], but without a lawyer to protect him, he's browbeaten into giving a confession and ends up on death row.
* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': Subverted in "Terra Prime". When Gannet is accused of being TheMole for Terra Prime and her alibi falls apart, she clams up and demands a lawyer, to which the ''Enterprise'' crew throw up their hands in dismay -- they obviously think she's stalling for time. [[spoiler:It turns out that she ''is'' a mole, but she's actually working for Starfleet Intelligence, not Terra Prime]].
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Averted in "Non Sequitur". When Harry Kim realises he's suspected of treason, he refuses to continue without legal counsel. This is likely a ContinuityNod to TNG's "The Drumhead", which had AnAesop about the subject of legal rights.
* Inverted on ''Series/CornerGas'', where Davis thinks someone he's arrested is suspicious because he ''doesn't'' ask for a lawyer. It turns out that the reason he didn't ask is that he is one.
* ''Series/LukeCage2016'': The first season frequently features police officers ignoring or resisting suspects' right to an attorney.
** Candace gives a false witness account to Misty on behalf of Mariah. Mariah does send Benjamin Donovan to Candace to make sure her story stays straight, but Misty tries to pressure her into ignoring the lawyer's advice and coming clean.
** Luke consistently rejects the idea of having a lawyer until the last moments of the series. He claims that since he's innocent, he doesn't need a lawyer, even though Claire keeps insisting that [[Series/Daredevil2015 she knows a good one]]. He finally relents when he is arrested for [[spoiler:illegally escaping from Seagate (where he was imprisoned for a crime he was framed for)]], a crime he ''did'' commit.
** Shades, a career criminal, spends his entire time while under arrest requesting a lawyer. Inspector Ridley continues to question him without a lawyer present, even though his testimony would be invalid at this point. Despite her best efforts to intimidate him with the ''long'' jail time he's looking at, he refuses to crack and even trolls her a little.
** After Diamondback kills a police officer to implicate Luke as a CopKiller, some cops pick up Lonnie, a kid that knows Luke. The boy immediately demands that his mother, who is in law school, be present. Unfortunately, tensions are high, Luke is believed to have killed one cop and assaulted two others (and the dead cop happens to be the interrogator's former training officer), and Lonnie has a bit of an attitude, causing the interrogator to eventually lose his temper and take it out on Lonnie.
* On ''Series/{{Baywatch}}'', when Eddie is arrested for statutory rape [[FalseRapeAccusation (wrongly, as the supposed victim lied)]], one of the cops questioning him, who happens to be a friend of his, gently tells him that he shouldn't have waived his rights to an attorney. Eddie angrily and staunchly tells him that he doesn't need one because he didn't do anything.
* ''Series/ThePunisher2017'': Billy Russo is asked by Dinah to come down for questioning, as she's figured out that [[spoiler:he killed Sam Stein]]. Though this trope is more a sign of Billy's confidence that Dinah doesn't have any evidence on him.
-->'''Dinah Madani:''' I thought you'd be accompanied by counsel.\\
'''Billy Russo:''' Why? Lawyers are for the guilty.
* Generally averted on ''Series/HillStreetBlues'', as one of the main characters is a Public Defender. In fact, Captain Furillo sometimes uses the fact a particular suspect has asked for a lawyer to his advantage; since they're refusing to speak to the police until they have counsel, they've no excuse not to keep their mouths shut and listen while he delivers a few hard truths about how much trouble they're in.
* ''Series/HotelBeauSejour'': Out of all the police interrogations depicted in the show, the only character to request a lawyer was Varderkerk, a notorious drug dealer. (He was innocent of the murder in question but wanted to conceal his drug business.)
* ''Series/ThePeopleVOJSimpson'': When OJ returns home to the scene of the crime, Robert Kardashian tells him he shouldn't talk to the police without a lawyer, but OJ goes along for an interview on the basis that it will make him look guilty if he brings a lawyer.
* ''Series/OneLifeToLive''. When gang-rape leader Todd Manning attacks his victim Marty again, her friend Luna happens upon the scene and hits him over the head with a pipe. Unfortunately, when giving their statement to the cops, everything they say is misinterpreted and the cops are left with the impression that Luna was acting like a vigilante rather than defending her friend. Her fiancé is horrified to realize that she talked to the police without a lawyer, but she insists, "I didn't have anything to hide!"
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Motive}}'', the homicide detective protagonists respect defence attorneys as an important part of the justice system (it's a [[CanadaEh Canadian]] show), and often encourage people they suspect may be innocent or have extenuating circumstances to get lawyers. In one episode, they are visibly disgusted by a public defender who encourages his client to plead guilty despite minimal evidence, and his explanation that he believes his client is guilty and he's just trying to "help [them] out", even giving the suspect contact information for a non-profit that can provide better representation.
* ''Series/TheProfessionals''. In "The Rack", a court of enquiry is being held into the death of a suspect in [=CI5=] custody. When George Cowley is asked who he wants as counsel to represent [=CI5=]'s side, he replies thus:
-->'''Cowley:''' Counsel? My God, ''I'' founded this organisation; ''I'' will answer for it!
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest''. A variation in "Reasonable Doubt" when a former prosecutor doesn't call for a lawyer after being framed for murder, but that's only so she can find out what the evidence is against her when the police lay it out during her interrogation. She then calls for a female lawyer of similar build, knocks her out and leaves the police station wearing her clothes.

Also, the police have no power to take you to the station without arresting you; if they ask you nicely to come to the station, you can politely refuse and leave at any time, unless they decide subsequently to arrest you (i.e. they must ''expressly state'' that you are under arrest, opening themselves to a false-arrest complaint if they have no legitimate justification for doing so). If you are talking to police for any reason such as if you're a witness to a crime, or if your lawyer has advised you to answer a question, do not ever lie (just say nothing) as that will not only make you look guilty, and if you are speaking to a US Federal agent, lying is actually a crime in itself.

'''This [[HollywoodLaw has no bearing on]] RealLife.''' Any law school professor can tell you that if you're arrested or the police think you committed a crime, ''you shouldn't talk to them except to say that you won't be answering questions and to ask for a lawyer'' (note that this doesn't mean that they're obligated to ''get'' you a lawyer — just that they can't interrogate you without one). In TV Land, only one or two crimes ever happen at the same time, while in reality, there are a lot more. You may want to help the police catch a crook, but in doing so, you may accidentally implicate yourself in another crime, ''or the same crime''.

'''This [[HollywoodLaw has no bearing on]] RealLife.''' Any law school professor can tell you that if you're arrested or the police think you committed a crime, you shouldn't talk to them except to say that you won't be answering questions and to ask for a lawyer (note that this doesn't mean that they're obligated to ''get'' you a lawyer — just that they can't interrogate you without one). In TV Land, only one or two crimes ever happen at the same time, while in reality, there are a lot more. You may want to help the police catch a crook, but in doing so, you may accidentally implicate yourself in another crime, ''or the same crime''.

Keep in mind, this may be especially true of someone who has committed no crime — a reasonable, innocent person tends to think that he or she can explain the situation logically and reason it out with the police, but this can get you in a lot of trouble. Police officers are human beings, which means they're susceptible to all the [[LogicalFallacies cognitive biases]] of human beings. If they already have a narrative in their heads as to how a crime went down, [[ConfirmationBias it's very easy for them to fit an innocent person's comments into that narrative]] — not out of maliciousness, but a simple desire to solve a case. Most suspects never call their lawyers, regardless of whether they're guilty or innocent. [[StupidCrooks Most suspects are also stupid.]]

This bears repeating because of how serious it is in RealLife. If you are ''ever'' arrested, for ''any'' reason: '''''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Get. A. Lawyer.]] Do not talk to the cops. Do not write down anything or sign anything the cops give you. Ask for a lawyer and until you get one, keep your mouth shut. The only words that should be coming out of your mouth are that you demand a lawyer. Nothing else.''''' Also, the police have no power to take you to the station without arresting you; if they ask you nicely to come to the station, you can politely refuse and leave at any time, unless they decide subsequently to arrest you (i.e. they must ''expressly state'' that you are under arrest, opening themselves to a false-arrest complaint if they have no legitimate justification for doing so). If you are talking to police for any reason such as if you're a witness to a crime, or if your lawyer has advised you to answer a question, do not ever lie (just say nothing) as that will not only make you look guilty, and if you are speaking to a US Federal agent, lying is actually a crime in itself.

** And when [[Literature/TheTruth William de Worse]] ask for Slant, it's to [[spoiler:protect his family's 'good name': yes, his father was a part of the plot, but his siblings and mother don't need to be taken down with him]]. Vines is pissed off to no end, but also seems pretty sure that William himself had no part in anything that happened (and is only a person of interest since he can name names).

* ''VideoGame/MadWorld'': When Jack confronts the mastermind behind the Deathwatch games, he tries to ask for a lawyer. Jack chainsaws him off a skyscraper.

* ''Fanfic/{{Mortified}}'': Brutally averted. As far as trials in the Ghost Zone go, everyone has a right to their own Advocate. Even the witnesses. In fact, it's almost legally obligated for everyone to have their own Advocate, because everyone who has a stake in the trial (including the witnesses) needs to tell their Advocate what their ideal outcome for the trial is, so their Advocate can help them prepare their testimony to help achieve that end.

** Discussed again in the season 2 episode "Cobbler" when Daniel Warmolt, a new-time drug dealer who's been ripped off by Nacho, calls the cops to complain about his baseball card collection being stolen, but the cops quickly suspect that he's a drug dealer and start investigating ''him'' under the guise of investigating the burglary. Mike, who had been hired by Daniel as muscle, figures this out and hires Jimmy to be Daniel's attorney. The cops are openly suspicious that a man who ''called'' the cops has an attorney present during questioning. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaHNB7DUm8g Jimmy ultimately has to come up with an outlandish justification]] for why the dealer is so protective of his privacy to throw the cops off the trail.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks 2001 anthrax attacks]] were a particularly horrific example where the "suspect(s)" ''didn't even know they were suspects.'' Biowar agencies such as USAMRIID and the CDC sent the [=FBI=] some consultants on biological warfare to aid in the investigation. However, the [=FBI=] decided that because [[TheWormGuy the skills and proficiency needed for the attacks were so rare]], ''the consultants were prime suspects.'' The [=FBI=] then dropped ''all'' other leads, put the consultants under 24-hour surveillance, put their lives under microscopes, and when one of them committed ''[[DrivenToSuicide suicide]]'' due to unending harassment, the [=FBI=] [[DeceasedFallGuyGambit pointed their fingers at the corpse and declared the case closed]]. This resulted in the [=FBI=] becoming ''[[JurisdictionFriction extremely]]'' unpopular with the intelligence community, because their own efforts revealed two damning facts: first; the anthrax strain had never before been seen in the Western hemisphere, and second; though they recognized an element of how the anthrax was prepared, it was a ''Soviet'' technique no Western scientist has been able to reproduce. To this day, American military biologists consider the attacks their equivalent of the Roswell landings.
* Remember the “[[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilberto_Valle Cannibal Cop]]”? He was eventually released on appeal because nothing he had done was illegal. He was convicted of conspiracy to kidnap, murder and eat several women he knew, but it was all just role play on an extreme fetish website, he was never going to follow through on it. NightmareFuel? Yes. Conspiracy to commit murder? No. The shadiest thing he did was use pictures of women (including his wife) without their knowledge and consent in his role-play scenarios, sleazy as hell, but if you were going to put him in jail for that you’d have to arrest half the internet. When he was initially arrested he refused a lawyer and decided to cooperate fully with the investigation, since he’d done nothing wrong and, as a police officer himself, he was sure that investigators would realise this was all a misunderstanding and clear him quickly. They didn’t.
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** ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' gives a reverse example, wherein Ryunosuke admits it's quite sketchy his extremely wealthy client, Magnus [=McGilded=], ''can't'' find a lawyer and must rely on a public defender such as himself. [=McGilded=] asserts it's the fault of [[TheDreaded the prosecutor's reputation]] rather than his obvious guilt. [[spoiler:They're both right--[=McGilded=] is did commit the murder, but the reason no one will take his case is instead because [[DoomMagnite every defendant Barok van Zieks has failed to convict dies a grisly death shortly thereafter]], and no defense lawyer wants that blood on their hands]].

This is a subtrope of ArtisticLicenseLaw. See also BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible, DontAnswerThat.

* In the United States, at least, if the police appear to think that you have committed a crime (and especially if they've actually arrested you), you should definitely not say anything to them except for asking to see a lawyer. [[MirandaRights "Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law,"]] no matter how innocuous you think it may be. Even saying that you're innocent[[note]]"I didn't do anything wrong, so can I go now?"[[/note]] can be twisted against you.[[note]]"Mr. Troper seemed uneasy, despite claiming he had nothing to hide, yet constantly asked to be released, as if he ''did'' have something to hide. After all, why would a seemingly innocent man be so nervous around police?"[[/note]] And that's not getting into all the different ways that "acting like someone who is innocent" can translate into "showing no remorse" with the right prosecutor.
* [[http://boingboing.net/2008/07/28/law-prof-and-cop-agr.html This lecture by Prof. James Duane of the Regent University School of Law and Officer George Bruch of the Virginia Beach Police Department]] ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc Alt-Link]]) explains why you should always get a lawyer. Examples given include falling into INeverSaidItWasPoison[[note]]if you make assumptions about the crime and are right, it looks like you have knowledge of the crime that the police never gave you[[/note]] and accidentally confessing to something you didn't know was a crime. The most pointed element in the lecture is the revelation that if you implicate yourself in any way, it may be used against you in court, just as the Miranda warning says. However, anything else you say, even if it's ''helpful'' for your case, may not be brought up. Even if you bring the officer who heard what you said that helps your case onto the stand, and even if he tells the truth, the prosecutor can have it thrown out as "hearsay."
** It's very important to note that in some jurisdictions this is simply '''not''' good blanket advice - in particular, England and Wales have a ''qualified'' right to silence, in that while you can't be compelled to talk, courts can hold it against you if you don't mention something in questioning that you later choose to rely on in court as part of your defence (e.g. "I don't own a car" is something you'd be expected to have brought up at an interview if that was part of your defence against a charge of dangerous driving), and you should at the very least consult with a solicitor before you choose to stay silent at interview. The [[YouDoNotHaveToSayAnything British equivalent of the Miranda Warning]] spells this out at point of arrest.

* The "kafkatrap", a logical fallacy named after Franz Kafka's ''Film/TheTrial'', runs off this logic. Someone makes an AbominationAccusationAttack, the accused denies and/or defends themselves against the accusation, and their "defensive" behaviour is then taken as evidence of their guilt. After all, "I'm not an axe murderer" is exactly what an axe murderer ''would'' say!
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* Thoroughly deconstructed in ''Film/MyCousinVinny'', which is often used to illustrate why you should always ask for a lawyer. [[OneDialogueTwoConversations The boys are innocent, they try to explain and cooperate,]] [[MistakenConfession but accidentally confess to murder]] [[OneDialogueTwoConversations when they thought they were confessing to shoplifting]]. If it wasn't for Billy's cousin Vinny arriving to be their lawyer, they'd have been executed.

* Thoroughly deconstructed in ''Film/MyCousinVinny'', which is often used to illustrate why you should always ask for a lawyer. The boys are innocent, they try to explain and cooperate, and through SeparatedByACommonLanguage-induced PoorCommunicationKills accidentally confess to murder when they thought they were confessing to shoplifting. If it wasn't for Billy's cousin Vinny arriving to be their lawyer, they'd have been executed.

* Thoroughly deconstructed in ''Film/MyCousinVinny'', which is often used to illustrate why you should always ask for a lawyer. The boys are innocent, they try to explain and cooperate, and through SeparatedByACommonLanguage-induced PoorCommunicationKills accidentally confess to murder when they thought they were confessing to shoplifting. If it wasn't for Stan's cousin Vinny arriving to be their lawyer, they'd have been executed.

In crime dramas, when someone is arrested, they are read their MirandaRights, "You have the right to remain silent," "You have the right to an attorney," etc. It seems, however, that all good, law-abiding citizens are willing to waive their rights and talk to the police without any qualms at all. But as soon as someone demands a lawyer, or refuses to talk without one, you know instantly that they are a sleazeball. Maybe not the one the police are actually seeking, but they are definitely someone of ill repute.

* ''Series/ThePunisher2017'': Billy Russo is asked by Dinah to come down for questioning, as she's figured out that [[spoiler:he killed Sam Stein]].

** Noted in a discussion with the detecitives themselves, who can't believe that anyone ever does ANYTHING in the box other than ask for a lawyer and shut their mouths.