Police custody and voluntary interview
Assistance from the first hour: confidential meeting, presence at every interview, review of the procedure for irregularities.
Attorney at the Lyon Bar
Defence starts in the first hour.
Criminal law only. Police custody, a summons, an immediate trial: the procedure moves forward whether or not you are ready. The office answers straight away, day or night, and travels to you.
- A personal emergency line, not a switchboard
- Attendance at every police station in the region
- Written fee agreement before any action is taken
24/7 custody hotline
1h average time to attend
400+ criminal cases argued
2011 called to the Bar
Practice
One field of law, at every stage of the procedure
From the police station to the assize court, the office follows the case through — it is never handed over to a colleague halfway.
Immediate trial
A few hours to read the file, build the defence and decide with you whether to seek an adjournment or be tried the same day.
Investigation and pre-trial detention
Questioning before the investigating judge, requests for further steps, detention hearings and applications for release.
Assize and criminal courts
The long preparation serious cases demand: expert reports, witness work, and a defence built for a jury.
Road traffic offences
Drink-driving, driving under the influence, failure to stop, refusal to comply, licence suspension and cancellation.
Victims and civil claims
Joining proceedings as a civil party, support through medical assessment, valuing and recovering compensation.
Reference section
Police custody: the first 48 hours
Police custody follows a strict timetable set out in the French code of criminal procedure. Here is what happens, hour by hour, what the lawyer does at each step, and what the family goes through meanwhile.
- H0
The call
What the lawyer does
I confirm the measure with the police unit and note the exact grounds, the start time and the location. If you are calling on behalf of someone else, I make myself known directly to the investigating officer.
What the family goes through
You still have no official information, and nobody will call you unprompted. Write down the time of arrest: every legal deadline runs from that moment.
- H+1
Arrival at the station
What the lawyer does
I report to the unit and ask for the alleged offence, the presumed date of the facts and the grounds for custody. Those are the only elements the law allows me to know at this stage.
What the family goes through
The waiting starts. You can leave personal belongings at the desk; any ongoing medical treatment must be reported immediately, and is handed over under the duty doctor’s control.
- 30 min
The confidential meeting
What the lawyer does
Thirty minutes, one to one, with nobody listening. I explain the procedure and the rights — including the right to remain silent — and together we settle the line to take in interview.
What the family goes through
When the meeting ends I call you, if the person has asked me to. Professional privilege prevents me from repeating what was said: I give you the state of the procedure, not its content.
- Interviews
Every interview, without exception
What the lawyer does
I attend all interviews and confrontations, note the questions and the answers, and record any irregularity. Those notes are later used to apply for the acts to be set aside.
What the family goes through
Interviews are spread across the day and often the night. A long silence is not a bad sign: it is the ordinary rhythm of custody.
- H+24
The extension
What the lawyer does
Custody can be extended by twenty-four hours on the prosecutor’s decision. I file written submissions against the extension and request a further meeting, which is granted as of right.
What the family goes through
This is the longest stretch. Extensions are common and mean nothing in themselves: they simply indicate that enquiries are continuing.
- H+48
The outcome
What the lawyer does
Three possible routes: release, a later summons to court, or being brought before the prosecutor. In that last case I am at the courthouse, and the hearing may take place the same day.
What the family goes through
Stay reachable within the hour. Once someone is brought before the prosecutor everything moves fast: an immediate trial is prepared in hours, not days.
No outcome can be guaranteed: the law forbids any lawyer from doing so, and that rule protects you. What is guaranteed is attendance at every step and a procedure kept under watch, from the first record of interview to the last.
The office
Livio Marchetti
I was called to the Bar in 2011 and have never practised anything other than criminal law. No corporate advice in the morning and criminal court in the afternoon: one field, every day, before the same courts and the same judges.
A criminal case is decided early. What is said in interview, what is requested during the investigation, what is challenged in time: the essentials are settled in the first hours, often at night. That is what the hotline exists for.
- One person handling your case, from the first call to the hearing
- Written fee agreement before any action is taken
- No outcome promised, no step left unexplained
- Your file, explained in plain language
The office in pictures
Quai Jules Courmont, Lyon
A discreet address, five minutes from the old courthouse.
Client feedback
From the people who called
My son was taken into custody on a Sunday evening. Mr Marchetti was at the station in under an hour and called us back as soon as their meeting ended. We finally knew what was happening.
Immediate trial on a Friday afternoon. He asked for an adjournment, explained exactly why, and told me what I was facing without dressing it up.
He promises nothing. He explains the procedure, the deadlines and what he intends to request. Two years of investigation and I never once had to chase him for news.
Frequently asked
The questions asked on the phone
Someone close to me has just been taken into custody. What should I do?
Call the emergency line and write down three things: the time of arrest, the police unit involved and, if you know it, the alleged offence. Only the person in custody can ask for a lawyer, but a family member can name one on their behalf: I then contact the investigating officer directly to make myself known.
Do you really answer at night and at weekends?
Yes. The emergency number is a personal line, not a switchboard or a voicemail. Arrests happen at night, on Friday evenings and at weekends: the hotline follows that rhythm, not office hours.
What does attendance in police custody cost?
The amount is given on the phone, before anyone travels, then confirmed in a written fee agreement. It depends on the time, the location and the number of interviews. No success fee is ever charged in criminal matters.
Can I get legal aid?
Depending on your means, yes. Your eligibility is checked during the first conversation, and the office takes on legal aid cases as far as its availability allows.
Do you work outside Lyon?
Across the whole Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region for emergencies and custody, and anywhere in France for investigations and assize court cases.
Can you tell me what I am facing?
I can tell you what the statute provides, how the court in question usually rules, and where the defence can act. No lawyer can announce a decision to you: the law forbids it, and that rule protects you.
Contact
Emergency or consultation
Custody already under way is handled by phone, immediately. Everything else can start with this form — same-day reply.
Emergency
Custody already under way is handled by phone.
+33 4 72 00 00 00Office: Monday to Friday, 9am – 7pm · Emergencies: 24/7
Arrest, transfer to the prosecutor, immediate trial: do not write, call. The line is personal and open at night, at weekends and on public holidays.
Direct line · no switchboard · no voicemail
Consultation