Because every firm my mother has called, the secretary will ask, "Have you been charged?" And when my mother says no, then the secretary will say, "We can't represent you, since you haven't been charged." Then they will hang up. Is this true?
You can hire a lawyer to paint your porch if you want to and the lawyer is agreeable. If you want some advice, and are willing to pay for it, there is a lawyer willing to provide it. I would suggest that your mother is asking the wrong question or she is calling public defenders or some similar agency that gets paid by third parties, such as government, to represent folks charged with crimes.
