Criminal Support — Stage Defence
For a foreigner who is a suspect, defendant, witness or related party in one stage of a criminal proceeding, or who is contesting an administrative sanction with deportation or an exit ban attached. Usually follows the Emergency Response package; can start directly where the matter is already under way. The working scope is confirmed only after reviewing the circumstances, available records and current requirements.
What you receive
- 01
Stage strategy agreed in writing — Before anything is filed: the objective for this stage, the options counsel sees, the evidence needed, the realistic range of outcomes and the cost of each path — signed off by you, not decided for you.
- 02
Defence counsel through the whole stage — The licensed lawyer attends every interview, hearing and meeting with investigators or prosecutors, files the submissions, and is briefed by us before and debriefed after each one.
- 03
Evidence and document file — Everything that supports your position — contracts, bank records, correspondence, witness statements, foreign documents legalised and translated — collected, indexed and kept in one file that counsel and you both work from.
- 04
Interpretation and plain-language explanation — A qualified interpreter at every official step, and after each step a written explanation in your language of what happened, what it means and what comes next — the part most foreign defendants never receive.
- 05
Weekly bilingual case report — One page every week to you and the people you authorise: status, decisions taken, decisions pending, dates, and spend against the agreed scope.
- 06
Residence, work and travel kept aligned — While the stage runs, your visa, work permit, residence card and any travel restriction are tracked together, so the case does not quietly end your lawful stay.
- 07
Stage close-out and next-stage brief — At the stage decision: what it means, your options, deadlines for appeal or the next stage, and a handover note so nothing is lost if counsel changes.
Delivery routes
Choose the level of support that fits your capacity, timing and desired control. Each party's role is confirmed before work begins.
Route C: LotusGuard coordinates and reports; licensed counsel conducts the defence. Management fee and counsel fees are shown separately in the quote.
Route A — You act, we guide
you keep execution; LotusGuard provides the costed roadmap, working notes and review checkpoints.
Route B — We execute under mandate
LotusGuard prepares and files the agreed work within the written authority.
Route C — Independent third-party QC
where a licensed specialist is required, LotusGuard vets the provider, holds one timeline and supervises delivery for a disclosed management fee.
Timing and quote
Fees are fixed against the scope stated in the quote and applied consistently. The quote identifies included work, exclusions, assumptions and any pass-through costs (government fees, translation, notarisation, third-party counsel).
Legal notice
LotusGuard coordinates your response and keeps one timeline: evidence organisation, interpretation, consular notification, family communication and liaison with counsel. Defence before investigators, prosecutors and courts is conducted by licensed Vietnamese defence counsel engaged under the LotusGuard mandate, with the relationship and fees disclosed. LotusGuard does not advise on how to evade an investigation, does not hold your passport, and does not promise any outcome from the authorities. Emergency contact is acknowledged within the response time stated in your engagement letter. This is an independent advisory deliverable, not a legal opinion issued by a licensed law practice.
