What To Do When Charged With A Crime
What to Expect
Your attorney will work with you to build a strong defense to get your charges reduced or, if possible, dropped altogether. This takes legal dexterity, savvy work, and consistent efforts, including but not limited to:
- - Scrutinizing all evidence against you to find fallacies and inconsistencies
- - Finding new evidence, including (if possible) witness testimony to verify your claims
- - Appearing at all legal proceedings, including bail hearings, trial proceedings and probation violation hearings
What Do I Need to Bring When I Meet With An Attorney?
The more information you can provide to your attorney, the stronger their case will be from the start. Helpful documents for getting started working on your case may include:
- -Your bond papers
- -Any documents from the court showing your charges and next court appearance date
- -A copy of the police report, if possible;
- -Any paperwork you may have received;
- -List of witnesses, victims, or anyone else associated with the case.
What to Expect During a Consultation
Initial consultations are free of charge and are conducted in a private, comfortable setting. The primary benefits of these consultations are that they allow you to:
- - Learn more about your legal rights
- - Find out more about the legal process you are facing
- - Decide whether you are comfortable with us and can place trust in our services
- - Get advice regarding the best manner in which to proceed with your case
Charges and Bail
When a person is arrested and booked, the prosecutor/district attorney makes a decision about what to charge the person with. A defense attorney will then work to protect your constitutional rights, including the right to:
- - have an attorney present
- - remain silent
- - be presumed innocent
- - have a trial
Hearings, Trial, Pleas
A person charged with a crime may be faced with a probable cause hearing or another preliminary hearing. A defense attorney can attempt to get a dismissal or reduction of the criminal charge(s) at such a hearing.
Sentencing
There is a range of possible sentences for any given crime. A defense attorney will fight to get the most favorable sentence for an individual who is convicted of a crime.
What Can I Expect to Pay?
There is not a single, easy answer for this. Just as there are many types of charges that can be brought against a person, there are many ways of paying for a defense against those charges. Many defense attorneys charge a flat fee for service instead of an hourly rate, and there may be add-on fees depending on how you and your attorney decide to handle your situation. For example, pleading guilty to a charge will generally cost much less than representation at trial. There are many factors, including how much discovery (finding of facts, documents, witnesses, etc.) is needed, how many filings are needed, and how many court appearances are needed.
What If I Can't Afford An Attorney?
You may be eligible to have a Public Defender, also known as a court-appointed lawyer, represent you.
