Your First Week Matters: What Brinkley Law Does Immediately After You Hire Us (and What You Should Stop Doing Today)

The first week after an arrest or charges in Indiana is critical. Learn what Brinkley Law does immediately, what your court timeline may look like in your county, and the mistakes to avoid.

If you’ve been arrested, served with a summons, or you found out there’s a warrant, your instinct may be to “explain it,” “fix it,” or “clear it up.” Unfortunately, those well‑intended choices are exactly how people accidentally make their situation worse.

At Brinkley Law, we treat the first week as a critical window to protect you, stabilize your situation, and start building a defense before the case gains momentum against you. Attorney Sarah Brinkley is a former Indiana deputy prosecutor who has handled thousands of criminal cases. She now uses that insider knowledge to vigorously defend her clients.

Below is what we focus on in the first week, the typical timeline you can expect in Indiana (including how it varies by county), and the things you should stop doing immediately.

What we do in the first week (and why it matters)

Many lawyers work hard. The difference is how fast and how intentionally the defense starts. Here’s what we prioritize right away.

1) Day 1: Get control of communication and “stop the bleeding”

Before we talk strategy, we make sure you understand what not to do (more on that below), and we get the basic facts in a way that protects you.

In the first 24 hours, we focus on:

What you’re charged with (or what you might be charged with)

Your bond conditions (including any no-contact order)

Any upcoming court dates

Any immediate risk: warrants, probation holds, license suspension issues, etc.

This is also where we help you avoid the most common mistake: trying to talk your way out of it, to police, the complainant, or “helpful” third parties.

2) Day 1–2: Enter our appearance and trigger the case process properly

Indiana’s criminal process has real deadlines that begin early. At the initial hearing, the court advises you about rights and deadlines under Indiana law.

In many cases, a fast appearance matters because:

The court process starts moving whether you’re ready or not.

There are early deadlines that can impact defense options.

In Indiana, the State’s discovery timeline is tied to the initial hearing and/or defense counsel’s appearance.

Under Indiana’s Rules of Criminal Procedure, the State must disclose and furnish specified discovery within 30 days from the date of the initial hearing, an appearance by defense counsel, or an appearance by a pro se defendant, whichever is later.

Translation: If a case is heading toward court, we don’t want discovery delays caused by waiting to get counsel involved.

3) Day 1–7: Address bond conditions and no-contact orders the right way

Bond conditions can control your life; work, parenting time, travel, and even who you can speak to. Indiana rules direct courts to consider release conditions and flight/danger risk in pretrial release decisions.

In the first week, when appropriate, we look at:

Whether bond can be modified or reduced

Whether conditions can be clarified (so you don’t violate them accidentally)

Whether a no-contact order can be legally addressed through the court (instead of you trying to “work it out” directly)

4) Day 2–7: Preserve evidence before it disappears

A huge part of defense work is not “what the police report says.” It’s what exists outside the report:

Bodycam / dashcam footage

911 calls

Surveillance video (often overwritten in days)

Cell phone data

Social media messages

Witnesses who move or forget details

In the first week we’re thinking: what evidence will be gone in 7–30 days unless we act now?

5) Day 3–7: Start building a defense path (not just “show up to court”)

Depending on the facts and the county, your case may be positioned for:

Dismissal arguments

Charge reduction

Diversion/deferral (when available)

A negotiated resolution

Litigation (motions, hearings, trial prep)

Indiana law recognizes pretrial hearings and conferences that may occur on the omnibus date or another date before trial, with the purpose of consolidating and ruling on pretrial issues and determining whether the case will be resolved by plea, jury trial, or bench trial.

We aim to be prepared for those moments early, because once you’re in that conference window, waiting to “see what happens” can cost you leverage. If you have questions about your case, contact Brinkley Law today at 317-766-1379.